Stanford’s MS&E, Cornell’s FE option, Columbia’s MFE

[juroco]

I got admitted to Stanford's MS&E, to Cornell's Financial Engineering option and Columbia's MFE... I like Financial Engineering and looking at the courses taught in each program I can take basically the same courses in any of the 3...
Do you think it would be a mistake to choose Stanford because is not strictly a financial engineering program? I believe the material taught will be better at Stanford but what about finding a job in the financial industry? I'm an international student so I'm going to need all the help I can get to land a job...

I'm leaning towards Stanford because of its big name... please give me any feedback you can, I'm really confused and i have to make a decision thank you...

[stanfordian]

In finance, the Columbia name is huge. In fact, you will find a lot of people with a degree from either Columbia or NYU.

The downside to the MS&E program is not so much about its coursework or training. Rather, it's about differentiation. When you have many MS&E grads with moderate financial engineering training applying for FE jobs, your resume may be lost in the pile unnoticed. If you are truly committed to coming to Stanford, I think you're better off to do more specialized program, such as Financial Mathematics, Statistics, or Computationl & Mathematical Engineering.

Nowadays, btw, Statistics grads (PhDs especially) are very, very sought after. They are like the new darlings of finance.

[WaitingMonster]

Stanfordian, can you tell us more about the difference between Financial Mathematics and MS&E programs in Stanford? Thanks!

[Mindcraft]

As Stanfordian said, Columbia is a huge name in the Financial Engineering world. Their MSFE is among the best of such programs, and you will find many job opportunities upon graduation from Columbia because a) it is close to Wall Street b) many contacts available c) curriculum geared towards positioning students in great financial jobs d) financial seminars will allow you to gain even more contacts and e) the name is world-class in MFE. The next best choice would be Cornell, and then Stanford. Like it was said before, Stanford is only a good choice if you are doing their FM-MS (FinMath degree). Because your admission is into their MS&E program, employers won't really give you as much notice as they would someone with a strict FinMath/Eng degree. My suggestion would be to choose Columbia, its a top school for FE!!

Yousuf

[LuminousIdeas]

Hi Juroco!

Do you mind sharing your profile with us?

Many thanks!

[juroco]

thanks for your advice Stanfordian and Mindcraft...
also columbia admits like 70 people into the MFE, i think cornell takes about 30.. do you think that makes a difference?

Profile
International Student
Degree: B.S. Industrial Engineering
IE GPA: 3.90/4.0
CGPA: 3.75/4.0
Undergrad Univ: Purdue
GRE: V450 Q800 AWA4.5
Prof. Exp: non relevant to finance, just production and manufacturing internships
SOP: good, showed ineterest and knowledge in FE.. listed relevant courses, i took 4 grad courses in my undergrad.. 2 OR, 1 STAT and 1 intro to FE..
Reccs: Very, very good

[Mindcraft]

thanks for your advice Stanfordian and Mindcraft...
also columbia admits like 70 people into the MFE, i think cornell takes about 30.. do you think that makes a difference?

Profile
International Student
Degree: B.S. Industrial Engineering
IE GPA: 3.90/4.0
CGPA: 3.75/4.0
Undergrad Univ: Purdue
GRE: V450 Q800 AWA4.5
Prof. Exp: non relevant to finance, just production and manufacturing internships
SOP: good, showed ineterest and knowledge in FE.. listed relevant courses, i took 4 grad courses in my undergrad.. 2 OR, 1 STAT and 1 intro to FE..
Reccs: Very, very good

Hm, well... I've heard a statistic that the MFE at Columbia consists of 60 students or so. This is not to say that 60 are admitted for one single term. When I spoke with Columbia, they said the 60 student figure represents total number of students currently enrolled in the program, including those from last term or so. The point is, you shouldn't take anything away from Columbia merely because of the 60-70 student figure as this is not pertinent to the quality of the program. I am actually pursuing the FE field myself, and so in my honest opinion I would say that Columbia is the best choice out of the 3 you've mentioned. Good luck!

Yousuf

P.S.

UC-Berkeley admits about 60 students per year for their top-ranked MFE, and this in no way affects the quality of the program.

[waseda]

I got admitted to Stanford's MS&E, to Cornell's Financial Engineering option and Columbia's MFE... I like Financial Engineering and looking at the courses taught in each program I can take basically the same courses in any of the 3...
Do you think it would be a mistake to choose Stanford because is not strictly a financial engineering program? I believe the material taught will be better at Stanford but what about finding a job in the financial industry? I'm an international student so I'm going to need all the help I can get to land a job...

I'm leaning towards Stanford because of its big name... please give me any feedback you can, I'm really confused and i have to make a decision thank you...

Hi
do you mind to tell your GRE score for MS&E?
Thanks

[waseda]

thanks for your advice Stanfordian and Mindcraft...
also columbia admits like 70 people into the MFE, i think cornell takes about 30.. do you think that makes a difference?

Profile
International Student
Degree: B.S. Industrial Engineering
IE GPA: 3.90/4.0
CGPA: 3.75/4.0
Undergrad Univ: Purdue
GRE: V450 Q800 AWA4.5
Prof. Exp: non relevant to finance, just production and manufacturing internships
SOP: good, showed ineterest and knowledge in FE.. listed relevant courses, i took 4 grad courses in my undergrad.. 2 OR, 1 STAT and 1 intro to FE..
Reccs: Very, very good

Thank you Juroco for your information. you was accepted with V450. It gives me some hope indeed. Q800 is impressive!