Georgetown MSF vs. UCLA MFE

Background: I majored in finance and computer science at a semi-to-non-target undergraduate school. Due to depression and personal issues, my grades during my first two years of undergrad were abominable. However, I was able to get my act together and achieve mostly A's during my final 2 years of undergrad, but this was only enough to raise my final cumulative GPA to a lackluster ~3.3/4.0. My extracurriculars aren't impressive, consisting of one internship at a local business, one internship at a small IB/PE firm, one externship at a mid-sized VC firm, and a few entrepreneurial endeavors. I've applied to hundreds of financial firms, from MMs to BBs, and I keep getting rejected, most of the time without even getting an interview. Since graduating in December 2023, I have been unemployed for five months.

Therefore, I have applied to several graduate programs, including various Master of Science in Finance, MSFs, to "reset my GPA" and enhance my prospects in the industry, as well as several Master of Financial Engineering, MFEs, to not only "reset my GPA" and enhance my prospects in the industry, but also immerse myself in the confluence of tech and finance to propel myself into a career in quantitative finance. In my undergraduate education, I obtained dual degrees in finance and computer science but did not receive an education that combined these two disciplines. Just to be clear, I would be happy with any role in the financial industry, whether it be consulting, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, or a more quantitative role, but I seem to keep getting rejected everywhere.

I recently took the GMAT Focus, achieving a score of 715 (99th percentile), and the GRE, scoring 337/340 (Q: 170/170, V: 167/170). Regarding the MSF programs I applied to, I was accepted by Georgetown and Villanova, rejected by Vanderbilt, and am awaiting a decision from UT Austin. As for the MFEs, I was turned down by Carnegie Mellon and Berkeley, am waiting to hear from Columbia, and was surprisingly accepted by UCLA today.

I had assumed that UCLA would not accept me, so I settled on the belief that Georgetown was the best school I could attend. As a result, I have already paid the $850 enrollment deposit at Georgetown and registered for classes.

Based on my situation, should I choose UCLA MFE or Georgetown MSF? UCLA's MFE would provide me with a more technical, quantitative education where I'd learn much more, whereas I probably learned everything in the Georgetown MSF curriculum during my undergraduate studies as a finance major (although one could argue that this would be a reason for choosing Georgetown since I would be more likely to achieve easy A's). Georgetown MSF is remote, while UCLA MFE is in-person. UCLA MFE has a far lower acceptance rate (Georgetown MSF is far easier to get into than Georgetown undergrad, I've heard the former accepts almost everyone). UCLA seems more prestigious. Which of these two schools has a higher placement rate within the financial industry?

At first, UCLA might seem like the obvious choice, but there are two factors that complicate this decision. Firstly, Georgetown is much cheaper. Georgetown is giving me a $40K scholarship, making my total program cost just another $40K. Additionally, the remote option would save me so much money on housing and other expenses. The UCLA program costs $85K in total, and I don't know how much scholarship I will receive yet, but it probably won't be anywhere near as much as Georgetown's. Secondly, although I wouldn't mind living in LA for a temporary 1.5-year program, I would hate to live there long-term. While UCLA might have better placements overall, I believe Georgetown has more placements in NYC than UCLA (correct me if I'm wrong). LA is near the bottom of my list of major US cities I would like to live in long-term, and I would STRONGLY, STRONGLY prefer to reside in NYC.

As an additional question, although I do not plan to do this, would it be possible to pursue both programs at the same time? Since Georgetown is a remote program and offers part-time options, I could easily do both at the same time if I wanted to. Do you think this would be allowed, and if so, would it be worth it?

Thank you for your time and consideration.