PhD from MIT or top school or MBA?
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So freaking long.
Holy fuck I hate you. Don't ever write something like this again. I'd love to answer your question, because it seems interesting, but I honestly can't read through that shit.
my bad about that
Ok, I didn't read this whole post, but I got the gist of it.
Phd programs in math, sciences, and economics at top schools are VERY tough to get into. If you're qualified to get in, you certainly have the grades and test scores. I assume that you don't have work experience? One word of warning. Do NOT do a phd in hopes of using it as a stepping stone into the private sector. It's a lot of work, and it's not something you should do unless your primary passion is academia and research. If you have a strong quantitative background, try getting a job in programming, prop trading, or maybe at a top laboratory where you can do cutting edge research. The latter would be very attractive for top MBA programs since you will easily stand out.
Well I kind of agree with this. The top laboratory job I can get, but as far as the quant finance or trading job I have had some difficulty finding. A few MM I-Banks have said an internship might be possible, but nothing really set in stone. I have got contacts in BB, have not used them all.
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Haha sorry guys, sometimes i get on a writing buzz, and it all comes out, thanks for the answers
some guys at a top 100 hedge may give me an internship, i haven't really cracked into anything decent, so no i have no work experience except scientific company internships
At least put your writing in paragraphs instead of vomiting all over the page.
haha ok, good senses of humor amongst u bankers
Dude there is an return button on your keyboard. Use it every once in a while
yeah my keyboard is a bit messed up lol, i have to slam down some of the buttons, somebody spilled some food on it
i have a ph.d. from a top target and it serves me well, though with my undergrad i could have gone off to WS straight off. i would not strategize career moves around grad school though. in my dept we had a 40% washout rate (i.e., 2 in 5 finished with a consolation master's or ABD and many years lost, and i do mean MANY). knowing what i know now it was a pretty insane gamble. there is nothing predictable or straightforward about it and only do it if you fucking love it because there is no way even with all the stars lining up (good adviser who actually spends time on your work, supportive department, decent colleagues, experiments not blowing up, etc.) that you will get out. if you do this for any other reason for pure curiosity, you are making a huge fucking mistake.
also you better learn to be more succinct if you want to make it in the real world. no one will like the verbal diarrhea about your life story. trust me.
I like that word "succinct " I totally agree with that.
Man, there is nothing you have written in this thread that tells me you will succeed at anything, whichever path you take. Succinctness there for you.
Look at a Masters in Finance program instead. A halfway between a PhD program & MBA (well not really-but they look highly upon science/tech guys with buffo stats). It places well into finance. MIT offers a great program, as does Princeton, CMU & Berk.
These programs seems to place heavily into quant oriented positions in finance (Strats divisions in BB, quant trading, quant funds, etc.) And you could always do research there.
Yeah, this is a great suggestion. Masters programs in finance are great because they are 1-2 years max, and the top ones have awesome placement at bulge bracket banks and prop trading firms. The jobs will be quant trading, research, risk management, strategy. They actually don't place well at hedge funds, though.
I will think about this seriously. I also knew a guy that left after one year of a PhD (Finance) and went to Goldman with no internship or business background.
If you are dead set on a wall street career doesn't make sense to do a phd. If you are interested in quant finance do an MFE instead. If you are smart enough to get into a top phd program in physics/math/stats etc you are smart enough to get a top quant position with just an MFE.
Don't even compare a phd to an MBA. Completely diff animals
Baboon, yes this sounds logical, however trust me, in the academic community the advisor of the research program basically accepts who they want. Either you are a rockstar with the "right" publications, not just a lot of publications, high gpa and everything, or the more common reason, the chinese advisor knows another chinese guy at another school, hes a friend, and says my student wants to work with you. The admissions process is basically a formality. However MBA, its all numbers, its a crap shoot to admissions.
Question, does a "corporate finance analyst" at a well known VC firm for a very niche area of investing sound like a good job? I have a phone interview coming up.
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