TedMosby

In terms of selling admissions committees on my work experience - does it matter if I am still employed at the time of application? Let's hypothetically assume that adcoms find it impressive and relevant (I realize that some may argue that adcoms will find it irrelevant, but for the sake of argument, let's assume that adcoms find it impressive/relevant please). I am considering if it makes more sense to (1) leave my current job and take non-degree classes full-time, or (2) continue working and take classes part time. If I go with option 1, I think I could complete calc 3, linear algebra, a calc-based probability class, and real analysis before applications begin. I could also be enrolled in 2 more classes at the time of application (on that note, do admissions committees "count" classes you are enrolled in, but have not completed?). I would also have a decent amount of time to chat with professors, and one may potentially be willing to write a LOR. If I go with option 2, I could only take a smaller courseload (at the time of application, I could be done with 2 courses and be enrolled in one more). However, I could say that I'm still employed at my current job - is there value in that? Or is work experience equally valuable regardless of whether or not it is current? In the industry environment, there tends to be a stigma against employment gaps (folks tend to assume you were forced out of your previous job, or burned out)... but not sure if that applies for PhD admissions? Thanks all for your help!

In terms of taking math courses as a non-degree student - does it matter where I do that (assuming that the schools are all BA-granting)? E.g., to take the NYC example - would it be viewed differently if I took the courses at Baruch vs Columbia? In terms of the MFE path toward a top 15 - do you have a sense for whether doing well in classes plus developing a relationship with professors is sufficient, or if a research associate/assistant gig would be needed?

Thanks again for your help! A couple follow up questions... In terms of taking the math courses as a non-degree student - does the school matter, as long as its a BA-granting school? To take the NYC example - would courses from Baruch be viewed differently compared to courses at Columbia? On the MFE path towards a top 15 - does getting good grades and developing a relationship with professors seem sufficient? Or do you think I would need to get them to take me on as a research assistant/associate?

Thanks very much for the comprehensive reply!

Thanks a lot for the feedback, zshfryoh1! I want to go for a PhD in order to become a professor. I want to do research and teach full-time. Absolutely not related to advancing within the industry, as I'm not sure it would even help. Even if there's a modest benefit, it would certainly be much, much faster for me to advance by just continuing with with my current role. In terms of the coursework - if I were able to self study calc II and III (I took Calc BC in high school and I understand that is similar to calc 1 + 2), and then take non-degree courses at a respected university in linear algebra and real analysis and get As in both, would that be enough to signal to adcoms that I'm capable of learning the more advanced quantitative material? On the journals - by "top tier," do you mean top 5, top 10, top 50, or top 100? Pardon the naive question. On the LORs - if I can get a LOR from a known professor, but the content is pretty generic (due to me being out of school for so long), does that help at all?

Hi all - I would really appreciate some feedback on my chances of getting into a top 15 Finance PhD program. I'm also open to Econ if I would have a better shot. I think my work experience and grades are strong, but my LORs and quantitative coursework are weak. Not sure where the sum of that shakes out? Age: 28-32 Nationality: US Undergrad GPA: 3.8-3.9 GPA (summa cum laude) GRE: 170Q, 166V Work experience: Manage a sleeve within an absolute return-oriented fund. Fund sits inside an asset manager that is well known in the industry. I also contribute to investment research. We do not publish papers (work is proprietary). However, the topics are often reasonably similar to ones addressed in academia. Relevant quantitative coursework: calculus 1, two stats courses, an intro-level programming course. LOR: Have been out of school for a while, and professors have likely forgotten me, so academic recommendations unlikely to be strong. As mentioned above, my biggest concerns are my quantitative coursework and LORs. In terms of the coursework, I'm planning to take 2-3 non-degree courses to try improve this (but not sure if that's enough?). In terms of the LORs, I should be able to get good work-related ones. I understand that this is generally frowned upon - does that change if my work LORs are from folks with PhDs and have published in academic journals?