Would it be wise to go to a cheap in-state grad school for math or statistics and get all A’s, and would that in turn help build a stronger case for top schools for masters in financial engineering (Columbia, Berkeley, Stanford) or a top 10 MBA? I do not have a strong quantitative background ( C’s in math and econ classes, no finance classes) and am currently working in accounting at a Big 4. If I did go to grad school, I would still try to work, but most likely not in Big 4 audit. Any recommendations for other routes?
Background: I graduated undergrad from UC Berkeley with 3.27 in environmental economics (not a very hard major to begin with) Got a C+ in intro to econ and C+ in intro to statistics, got a C in intermediate microeconomics two semesters later. Got A’s in two semesters of calculus, but they are not hard. No excuses for these C’s. Got diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression/ suicidal tendencies senior year, got No Passes for one semester (which don’t affect GPA , but still) and C’s in econometrics and industrial economics, and only because my dedicated mom came to live with me and forced me to study so I could graduate. Fought through it and am so much better and doing well at my job. Thank you in advance for your advice!
Berkeley is a strong brand. don't dilute your brand with cheap state schools' degrees Even if you want to take some of those courses, run for a certificate as an alternate transcripts, don't run for another degree unless you have other reasons. If you want a strong GPA, you can simply work some quant classes at night, and most grad schools will ask for ALL college transcripts, not just Degree Transcripts.
Berkeley MFE has those pre-MFE courses that you can pay some money and will prepare you for all the MFE programs out there. Much faster than a MS degree.
Preparation for MFE and MBA are pretty different... you should look it up more
Score high in GMAT/GRE will overcome your lower GPA (since it's above 3.0, it's a yellow flag but not red flag). You should also use your medical conditions to discount your lower GPA performance
Thank you so much for your input! Do you know what specific quantitative classes they look for? I don't want to take really advanced calculus if I don't have to.. Would finance/valuation/derivative courses count as quant classes? Also, when you say certificate as alternatives do you mean the CFA?
Thank you so much!
For MFE, they'll look at quantity and quality. I know friends who admitted to MFE to UMich (discontinued), WashU (MSF-Q) and Cornell: they had Full BS Math and BS Finance sequence (except overlapping Gen-ed) in addition to high-flying GMAT/GRE scores
Not for the MFE, but for the MBA, when they say they want to see quant classes do they want to see that complex calculus and linear algebra or are finance/valuation more business oriented courses quantitative enough?
they'll see all. if you cant get advance classes with As, they'll question that analytical ability. it's similar to how low Q-score in GMAT/GRE will appear as a yellow/red flag.
I don't 100% agree with the above. I know people who have done MFE programs and the application process is heavy quant focused. From my small sample size more people who were math majors that want to work in finance get in than finance/economics majors that want a more quant focused masters. That being said, if you are going for a MFE you'll almost have to take math courses to make up for your lack thereof in undergrad.
Not sure how much the math will help with MBA admissions.
Disclaimer: have not attended graduate school.
I'm not sure if I said much about the math stuff... but I agree that MFE is all math/cs/stat/engineering. Glorified MS in Computer Science with a business emphasis (but programs are sometimes outside of B-school though)
without >80% in GMAT/GRE and strong UG performance (read: Quantity AND Quality) in quant courses, and optional work experiences, reputable MFE will be hard to get in. Chinese and Indian applications are always out there for these type of programs, and Q scores don't need much English ability
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