CS = Golden Ticket?
Hey everybody, I am a junior at a top public school majoring in mathematics with a concentration in Finance and Risk Management. I am very heavily considering doing a minor in CS -- but it would be a hassle since I got started with CS so late (I would have to take spring classes and simultaneously load up my semesters until I graduate). I have two main questions:
I want to get into a hedge fund (cue the snarky remarks) and I've heard repeatedly that quant hedge funds (two sigma, citadel, jane street) won't really take your application seriously as a trader or an investment analyst unless you have a CS degree or background of some kind -- how true is that?
I plan on applying to the 2+2 program at HBS my senior year. The program requires you apply at the end of your college career, and if admitted, spend two years in the work force and then come to HBS to get your MBA. I realize that a minor will be incredibly marginal in help, but the angle I wanted to go at it with was that I am interested in tech investing -- so would pursuing the CS minor aid me in any serious way when it comes to my application to that program.
Any responses are appreciated.
Have you considered going straight into a Masters program? I don't know much about the HFs you mentioned but if they're like the others, they're still only going to give so much credit to an undergrad in CS (even if it was your actual major, from a top-top school, its still just a Bachelors). So if you're hellbent on going down the HF road, why not pursue a CS degree or even an applied stats degree (with R or Python) right after undergrad? That would absolutely put you in a better position for HF recruiting in a relatively short period.
I don't think I'd be able to afford to go straight into a masters program -- the MBA was primarily just to make connections. Is there anything you could suggest in the context of my undergraduate education?
I really couldn't because I don't know what HF recruiting is like. But based on my experience with quants, I just couldn't see them giving that much credence to a CS undergrad. So you might be better off just doing side projects on your own in Python, a language that they would surely use. A portfolio of some projects in python might go a whole lot further than any CS undergrad could do for you
Okay, thank you so much, sir! I was planning on doing that on my own time this summer, anyway.
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