Mathematics or computer science?
I’m attending SMU in the fall and want to one day end up at a quantitive hedge fund. Which degree would I be better off with during the interview process and so forth? I enjoy both a lot.
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No one cares about the difference between math and CS as you need the skills from both. The bigger problem you should be worrying about is the fact that you go to SMU. Recruiting is going to be an uphill battle, math or CS or otherwise.
CS. If you don’t get into a hedge fund it’s easier to just go to SWE.
mentor who was a PM told me the best college majors (taken together) are best for finance
1) Quantitative major (Math, CS, Stats) so you have a quant base and can understand numbers
2) Sociology/Psychology etc. so you can understand how people think and make decisions - this will also boost your GPA from the lower grades you will get in the quant classes
Lastly, minoring in Shakespeare/English/Creative Writing so you can communicate your thoughts clearly and be able to draw themes (surprisingly critical in finance).
CS. You have the option to become an SWE later and make more way money working 10 hrs a week. Like I wish I had done.
If it’s any consolation I haven’t ever met anyone working 10 hours a week personally. I’ve found a lot of people grind it out and work long-ish hours (maybe not IB brutal, but 60+ isn’t unheard of)
+1 on this, although I definitely know people at Google making hella bread working less than 20hrs/week
I can't really help you on the degree part of your question - however you should look into the recent threads about SMU here (there's been multiple) about the different programs the business school offers. I could be totally wrong, but I have a hunch that SMU doesn't produce too many quant hedge fund types. However, I'd think with their connection to the commodities industry, you could definitely land on a quant desk for commodities.
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