tjc8822

I think you need a M.S. degree in the U.S. If you review current PhD students' profile, more and more students already have more than 1 graduate degrees before entering their PhD programs in Finance. You have a good chance though. Good luck!

1. A good reference letter is the most important thing in your application. Try to contact professors in your department who have good connection or co-authored with people in top OM programs. Find your own interest and start a project with those targets. I think IE and OM are closely related. You can tell a personal story. For example, I bought an Apple IPOD at Walmart and the screen broke down. Then you begin to think that whether Apple or the screen manufacturer should pay for the warranty cost, etc. Personal experience can be useful.2. Theoretical OR? How theoretical it is? Optimization or stochastic modelling? Most of the time, OM researcher has to deal with highly complicated stochastic systems and I think your background is okay! But if your coursework and research experience includes too much optimization topics then you will have to find a way out. 3. GRE is fine as long as your grad GPA is okay and you have a decent reference letter.

Hi wittmic, Thanks for your information.

Thanks wittmic, I am among the 4 to 5 students. I am waiting for the interview within an hour

Hey Hedgequant, Is that an interview from Minnesota Finance PhD program?

Department: UBC Sauder Finance Decision: Interview Date of Notification: 02/26/2013 Type of Notification: Email Posted on GradCafe?: No Comments: Anybody has an idea how to prepare the interview? Is it supposed to be a casual talk?

Any knowledge in stochastic process? Operations Management sometimes require some knowledge of stochastic process.

Thanks pemdas, that is insightful comment. Actually, that is my concern. Maybe my background is not that suitable since my training in econ is not systematic. When it comes to modeling the uncertainty, as far as I am concerned, there are two typical ways: 1. Financial engineering method: stochastic models such as Hetson model, other local volatility models. 2. Macro economic framework: consumption based model combined with Epstein-Zin(EZ) preference framework. Of course there are many more economical method to model uncertainty, since I have been following the EZ framework I just mention it. Personally, I doubted the usefulness of 1, that is the reason why I did research on 2. I believe that without considering macro economy condition, how can people model uncertainty for its own sake? Our research paid much attention to monetary policy shock and uncertainty in the financial market. Thanks so much!

Hello Everyone, I hope someone who has similar background can help me: I want to thank you all for reading and commenting on my profile. Profile: Type of Undergrad: B.s. Management Science and Operations Research (International), one of well-known universities in Asia. Undergrad GPA: 3.49/4.0, but ranking is good 3rd/46 students. The grading is very strict! Type of Grad: M.S. in Operations Research with concentration in Financial Engineering, IVY league school Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 GRE: 520+800+4 Math Courses: Calculus 1,2 both A(No A+ in my undergraduate grading system), Statistics and Probability (A), linear algebra(B, badly ill that semester), numerical analysis(a-), Operations Research(B+), Stochastic Process(A), Stochastic Process(A, graduate Level), Stochastic 1 (P.h.d level, in progress), real analysis 1(A), optimization(grad, A+), simulation(A, undergraduate), simulation(A-, graduate), Financial Engineering(A, grad), Stochastic Operations Research(A-, undergrad), Optimization algorithm(B+, undergrad) Econ Courses: Macro , Micro, Financial Econ (A-, undergrad), Time Series Analysis(B+), Introduction to Econometrics(A), Capital Market and Investment(A, grad), Advanced Econometrics(In progress, grad). Quantitative Risk Management(A), Important Papers in Financial Engineering (A, grad). Letters of recommendation: 1. Undergraduate Thesis advisor, that thesis was awarded by our University. A very strong reference letter. 2. The most important one. I have been working with one of the financial economics in the top business school during my graduate study. He promised a very strong reference letter and he knows me very well. 3. My real analysis professor. Teaching Experience: I was TA in Capital market and investment class( grad level). Hold recitations, grade homework, hold review sessions. Research Experience: summer research with a financial economist from b-school. Probably we will have a first draft before Dec. It is about the macro-economy uncertainty and asset-pricing. Concerns: I was not trained as an economist but an engineer in Operations Research (stochastic process). I didn't have enough econ-class as most of you. My interest is macro economics, especially Monetary Policy shock, Macro Economic Risk and Uncertainty in the financial market. I hope to extend what I am doing now to my phd study. Thanks for everyone who reviews my profile!

No, not that program

Any other comments? Thanks!!!!

Thanks imadeit! I appreciate your comments. To be honest, during undergraduate study, we have to take lots of compulsory but irrelevant courses which I do not like at all. I got bad grades on these courses. But if we consider math, or major courses only, I have a 3.8 around GPA. I am not sure if the committee will ignore those irrelevant courses or not. As for the LORs, my "boss" promises that it will be a very strong recommendation. He also mentions that he will write the LOR to someone he knows in other schools. I am not sure what this means but this is what he told me. Thanks again, imadeit!

Anybody help me? Thanks!

Thanks very much Kansrini!

Typically a real analysis 1 class will require Rudin's bible, "Principles of Mathematics". I took this course last semester and it seems that Calc 1, 2 and 3 are sufficient for that course. That course is about proof. It is like Cal 1,2 and 3 with rigorous math proof. Good Luck!