MFE or MBA

low 700s for all the top schools = the avg.
i believe 708-712 avg for harvard, wharton, stanford, etc. but obviously, do better than that to stand out. Note that those are averages, so obviously shoot for the 800 :P
 
adalfu Wrote:
> 2) or if not, go into something more
> mathematical-based; i.e. black-box quants (AQR,
> DFA, Renaissance, etc) or arbitrage-style hedge
> funds
> 3) prop trader
>
> I believe the MFE will help out w/ #2 and #3
> above, but the MBA is more superior for #1.
> Ideas/suggestions?
>
> Thanks
I can’t vouch for AQR of DFA, but I work with Renaissance on weekly basis. Jim mainly hires PhD’s in the hard sciences.
Master’s degree only - very hard to get in there.
Anything with finance in it’s title on your resume will generally get your resume in the ‘round file’. And CFA means nothing to them.
Dont’ want to discourage you, but that’s what its like there.
 
2007
——-
——-
Rank 1: Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
( Rank 1 in Financial Times B-School Rankings and Rank 2 in Business Week Top MBA Schools 2007)
Average GMAT Score = 713
GMAT score range = 660 - 760
No. of full-time MBA enrollments: 800
Percentage of female students = 36%
Percentage of Asian students = 22%
Average age of student = 28 years
Average work-experience = 5.8 years
Application Fee = 215 $ (Credit card only)
Rank 2: The Stanford Graduate School of Business
Average GMAT Score = 711
GMAT score range = 530-800
(GRE score may be accepted in lieu of GMAT score)
No. of full-time MBA enrollments: 749
Percentage of female students = 32%
Percentage of Asian students = 11%
Average age of student = 28 years
Average work-experience = 4 years
Application Fee = 245$ (Credit card preferable though you may pay through checks and money orders in US currency)
Rank 3. Harvard Business School
Average GMAT Score = 707
GMAT score range = 600-800 ( TG Guessestimate)
No. of full-time MBA enrollments: 907
Percentage of female students = 35%
Percentage of Asian students = 10-14%
Average age of student = 27 years
Application Fee = 237 $ ( by credit card only)
Average Work Experience = 4 years 6 months
( No minimum work-experience criteria)
Rank 4. MIT Sloan School of Management
Average GMAT Score = 702
GMAT score range (middle 80% range) : 640 - 760
No. of full-time MBA enrollments: 328
Percentage of female students = 31%
Percentage of Asian students = 23%
Average age of student = 27.9 years
Average Work-experience = 5 years
Application Fee = 230$ (payable by credit card only)
Rank 5. Kellogg School of Management
Average GMAT Score = 703
GMAT score range (74% of students) = 650-740
No. of full-time 2 yr MBA enrollments: 506
Percentage of female students = 38%
Percentage of Asian students = 28%
Average age of student = 32%
Average Work experience = 5.2 years
Application Fee = $ 225
Other Top Business Schools in the United States:
- GSB, University of Chicago
(Rank 1 in Business Week Top MBA School Rating)
- University of Columbia
(Rank 2 in Financial Times Top B-Schools 2007)
- Dartmouth College, Tuck
- New York University – Stern
- Yale School of Management
(FT B-School Rank 2007: 10)
This is one of those few rare moments, where I prefer number 3 over number 1 [;-p]
 
CardShark Wrote:
——————————————————-
> adalfu Wrote:
> > 2) or if not, go into something more
> > mathematical-based; i.e. black-box quants (AQR,
> > DFA, Renaissance, etc) or arbitrage-style hedge
> > funds
> > 3) prop trader
> >
> > I believe the MFE will help out w/ #2 and #3
> > above, but the MBA is more superior for #1.
> > Ideas/suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks
>
>
> I can’t vouch for AQR of DFA, but I work with
> Renaissance on weekly basis. Jim mainly hires
> PhD’s in the hard sciences.
>
> Master’s degree only - very hard to get in there.
>
> Anything with finance in it’s title on your resume
> will generally get your resume in the ‘round
> file’. And CFA means nothing to them.
>
>
> Dont’ want to discourage you, but that’s what its
> like there.
Thanks for input. I had a sense that’s how it’s like, after meeting w/ some quant shops. They prefer the physicists, chess champions, mathematicians (phds), etc. Other than that, you must be stellar, with +15 years of experience, or simply, have the connections w/ the partners or managing directors.
 
adalfu Wrote:
——————————————————-
> well, i don’t plan to start either program until
> 2-3 years out. by that time, it’ll be a totally
> different story. I do feel that there is still
> long-term growth in the hedge fund space, so I’m
> not too concern about the “timing” here.
>
> Thanks for the inputs. I would definitely prefer
> a joint degree (but I do know that berkeley’s and
> ucla’s programs dont offer the MFE + MBA joint
> degree – not too sure about columbia’s nor
> chicago’s). They might offer that in the future.
If you are interested in the joint degree, talk to every place that has a legit MBA program and respected MFE program.
Carnegie Melon and Columbia come to mind.
 
adalfu Wrote:
——————————————————-
> well, i don’t plan to start either program until
> 2-3 years out. by that time, it’ll be a totally
> different story. I do feel that there is still
> long-term growth in the hedge fund space, so I’m
> not too concern about the “timing” here.
>
> Thanks for the inputs. I would definitely prefer
> a joint degree (but I do know that berkeley’s and
> ucla’s programs dont offer the MFE + MBA joint
> degree – not too sure about columbia’s nor
> chicago’s). They might offer that in the future.
If you are interested in the joint degree, talk to every place that has a legit MBA program and respected MFE program.
Carnegie Melon and Columbia come to mind.
 
Yeah, I’m looking at Chicago GSB, Stanford GSB, Berkeley, and Columbia. Those are my targets I’m aiming for in 2-3 years. In the meantime, I’m just building my resume.
 
Do GPA matter to these schools? I have a measly 3.2 GPA in Electrical engineering..
 
I’ve been in many info sessions and from what I got out of it, it seems like they’re not too concerned with any one particular “factor”. as long as your story is intact, then you will still have a decent chance. just remember couple of pointers:
1) show leadership skills in your work experience is a plus for most of the schools mentioned above
2) good letters of recs
3) if GPA low, then compensate w/ higher GMAT, and vice-versa.
From my knowledge, most schools look at these following factors (in order of importance):
1) work experience
2) GMAT & GPA (some schools value GMAT over GPA; others, the opposite)
3) essays and letters of rec
4) extra-curricular that demonstrates leadership skills and other important qualities
But I would like to stress that they mainly focus on your narrative, combining all factors above. Low GPA doesn’t necessarily mean automatic rejection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top