econquant

Hi all, Long time lurker-first time poster here. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Singapore Management University, Quan Econ Major and Finance Major Undergrad GPA: 3.8/4.0 Type of Grad: National University of Singapore, MSc Statistics Grad GPA: 4.1/5.0 GRE: Q 167, V 161, AWA 5.0 Math Courses (mainly from PG): Intermediate Math for Economist (A), Statistical theory, Regression Analysis, Multivariate Analysis, Stochastic Processes and Probability, Applied Data Mining, Categorical Analysis, Non-parametric regression, Econometrics- Mostly B+ Econ Courses (all from UG): Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Applied Econometrics, Intermediate Econometrics, International Trade, International Macro - Mostly A/A- except a B for Intermediate Econometrics Other Courses: Letters of Recommendation: 1. Professor from UG- Well-published active researcher. I was a decent but not stellar student (top 10-15%, not top 1-5%) we kept in touch and I sought his advice regarding Masters and PhD. Knows me and my development well enough. 2. Research Director at multilateral institution (PhD Cornell): Ex-academic who switched into the policy world, worked with him extensively on a working paper 3. Professor at T20: Well-published active researcher. Worked with him closely over 1.5 years on a couple of short projects/assignments - ranging from mundane work (i.e. updating data and charts) to more sophisticated (i.e. statistical modelling). Research Experience: 3 years as a RA in a multilateral institution 1 year as a quant analyst in a financial institution (for experience and perspective) Teaching Experience: TA for Intermediate Macro (mostly grading assignments) Research Interests: Financial econometrics, Empirical econ/finance, Macro-finance SOP: Concerns: No 'required' math classes on transcript (i,.e. Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations) Non-stellar MSc grades- I was working full-time and came into stats with almost zero background save for two UG econometrics classes. Not sure if I fit well into traditional economics programs given that my research interests more closely aligns with quant finance. Should I be considering a PhD in Finance/ Statistics/ Quant Finance instead? Personal preference for schools in the UK. Funding is a major concern even for MPhil/MRes and will certainly pivot my decision. Please help me with the range of school that I should be targeting. Appreciate any advice Thanks!