WUSTL Corp Fin or Quant?

TNA or anyone that might know, I have the choice of staying in the corporate finance track at WUSTL or transitioning into the Quantitative Finance Track. The Quant track is 3 semesters so 1 semester longer than the Corp Fin. My question is whether or not applying for summer associate/analyst positions is a significant advantage over applying for full-time positions. I know that in the Corp Fin track I would be applying very early in the year for full-time positions.

The Quant Track is more expensive because of the extra semester, but the extra semester is a little less than half the price of one regular semester. I also do not want to pigeon hole myself into a quant role but I do have the math/quantitative background to pursue it and I do enjoy it.

As for my background I will be graduating from law school this semester (top 20, think 16-20 USNWR ranking).

Thanks for the help

 
Best Response

Wait. I am confused. So you are graduating from law school and THEN doing the MSF? Do you have internship experience?

Quant track is nice, but it sets you up to be a quant. Unless you have experience you aren't coming in as an associate. What do you want to do?

And while the WUSTL Quant track is nice, it doesn't compare to some other MFE programs. I frankly think their MSF > their quant reputation. The quant track came about because they were always the more quant-ish MSF program and wanted to bifurcate.

 
TNA:
Wait. I am confused. So you are graduating from law school and THEN doing the MSF? Do you have internship experience?

Yes, I originally intended to do the program as a dual degree JD/MSF but I found out about the program too late to make it a dual degree and had to postpone because of some personal issues. I worked for a Federal District Court as an intern 1L summer, with the legal department of a RE company, and this summer with a small asset management firm.

TNA:
Quant track is nice, but it sets you up to be a quant. Unless you have experience you aren't coming in as an associate. What do you want to do?

Quant is very interesting to me, but essentially I am trying to cast as wide a net as possible. Although, consulting does seem to stand out as a preferred way out out school.

TNA:
And while the WUSTL Quant track is nice, it doesn't compare to some other MFE programs. I frankly think their MSF > their quant reputation. The quant track came about because they were always the more quant-ish MSF program and wanted to bifurcate.

Yes, I have spoken at length with several people at Olin in charge of the MSF and have discussed setting up a hybrid curriculum to incorporate both tracks but like you said, I don't want to move down the quant road to open up doors if I'm shutting a great amount of non-quant doors.

It does not matter to me whether or not I enter as an associate or an analyst because I got a very significant scholarship from the law school so I am exiting with very little debt.

 

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