akhilthegame

But I'll waste a lot of time, money and energy chasing after schools to get those 20 rejection letters in a two-month time span. I'd like to focus on a decent university where my chances of being admitted are bright. If you have any suggestions please do mention.

Got your point. So please suggest some universities where my chances of being accepted are fair to bright given my kind of profile. Your suggestions are sincerely appreciated as I am new to this education system.

So u r suggesting that I should aim for PhD in Finance rather than mathematical/quantitative Finance?

Thanks for your valuable suggestion. I wish to remain in academia. I am interested in pursuing my PhD from the USA.

After working for 1 year as a quantitative trader at a leading stock-broking firm in India, I realize that it is time for me to go for a PHD degree in Mathematical/Quantitative Finance. Derivative pricing and algorithmic trading are the areas I am interested in. Could any of you review my profile and give me some suggestions on which schools I should apply for? Thanks a lot! Bachelor in computer science from a university in India, GPA 3.6 Courses taken: C, C++, Java, DBMS, Calculus, Algebra, Probability, Statistics, etc. 1 year Diploma in Financial Planning from a university in India, GPA - 3.0 Courses taken: Fundamental & Technical analysis of stocks, Financial Statement Analysis, Quantitative techniques in Finance, Fundamental of Economics, etc. Master in Mathematics from a university in India, GPA 3.5 Courses taken: Advanced Calculus, Advanced Algebra, Advanced Probability and Advanced Statistics. I've numerous certifications from the National Stock Exchange of India in the field of Derivatives, Capital markets, Portfolio Management, Forex, etc. No research experiences. No publications. What I do at work: developing trading strategy, monitoring risk GRE: V 165, Q 170, AWA 3.5 Recommendation Letter: I can get strong recommendation from a couple of professors. :) Based on the info above, I guess I do not have a good shot at top universities like HBS, MIT, Wharton for PHD in Mathematical/Quantitative Finance as the competition is getting severe among applicants in this couple of years. How about NYU, Carnegie Mellon University, or Boston University? Any other schools good at Mathematical/Quantitative Finance? Any of your advice would be greatly appreciated.