Is a Statistics major considered quantitative? - Big deal or no?

TROLL

In case this is not a troll,

Getting a finance and stats degree would be the best combination. Stats would definitely be viewed as "harder" degree.

No squirtlez, I'm not a troll this is a legitimate questions.

@Gekko21

when you say "harder" do you mean harder as in it's viewed akin to that of a math/engineering degree in terms of rigor, or do you mean harder in relative to a finance major?

Also how is a finance/statistics double major viewed in comparison to a finance/math major? Does it pale in comparison or are they viewed somewhat similarly?

I think the OP is asking whether a stats major or a math major is more attractive in terms of rigor and recruitment.. I think in that sense a math major would be looked more favorably upon than a stats major. I'm not sure if one can go as far as placing stats in the "harder" degree category (ex. math/engineering) but I could be wrong...

lol stats at stern is a joke major,,,just do math...or at least take a few joke math classes to hedge yourself against the harder ones

the funny part is that a statistics major at other universities are extremely tough, so if it's easier at stern, it could provide an advantage since other people will view it as a tough major.

I think it depends on whether the probability/stochastic processes/stochastic calculus courses fall under the stats department or math department at your school. At my undergrad, a stats degree was very respected because it required pretty heavy duty math. e.g. the upper year probability courses are measure-theoretic, and so students needed to take real analysis for which they needed topology, and the pde course was strongly recommended to take the stochastic calculus course. At my school, there is a distinction between major and specialist. Specialist degrees are much more comprehensive than majors, and so a stats major was considered quit easy because it didn't require any heavy duty courses. The stats specialist on the other hand was considered quite tough. I would say much tougher than the engineering programs, but not at the level of the math specialist.

Haven't you asked this question like 5+ times throughout the different forums? Just major in whatever the fuck you want... at the end of the day, your major alone isn't going to get you a job. And the difference between math and stats really isn't large enough to warrant this much discussion. Whatever you choose though, make sure you keep your grades up... ie don't major in math or w/e if you can't handle it. A 2.5 gpa in the hardest major out there isn't going to do anything for you.

Ok, I'm a stats major, at a hard school, with a hard curriculum. SO, let's clear things up.

My courses: Math: Calculus (I, II & III), Linear Algebra, ODE, PDE, Real Analysis, Stochastic Calculus Stats: Sampling, Statistics (Intro & Multi), Probability Theory, Mathematical Statistics, Data Mining Computing/Engineering: C++, Java, OO & Data Structures, Algorithms, Modeling, Monte Carlo Simulation, FInancial Engineering

I can't speak for anyone whose curriculum was "easy," but my resume is decorated with all types of mathematics awards and data analysis projects (I'm actually not asian).

At every interview I've ever been on, I was viewed as a hard (think electrical engineering hard) major. In fact, more so, in some cases, than pure math majors. This is because my curriculum was a sort of fusion between math and engineering, and my courses were chosen with quantitative analysis in mind. If my interviewer wanted to talk math, I had measure theory. If they wanted to talk computing, I had C++ and data structures. If they wanted to talk finance,.. well, finance is easy.

Now, did this help with banking? The answer is: not really. I got literally every quant interview that I applied to, but I didn't really want quant. In less-quant interviews, I found myself drawing attention away from my resume and focusing on having discussions about the market. After this, I would try to draw attention to interests, and other non-academic things.

So, did majoring in stats help? Yes, but only when we didn't spend the entire interview talking about nerdy shit.

^^^ Re: the above post, no one gives a shit... Go pat yourself on the back some more. Once you get an interview they don't care what super duper awesome math projects or differential equations you solved. You're not going to be deriving the quadratic formula for fun or looking at labra curves... You're going to be updating pitchbvooks using simple math... If you can add subtract and divide you'll be fine.

To the OP... "I'm sure you get this all the time but this isn't the real Caesar's Palace is it? Like he didn't actually live here did he?"

Also for trading the stat is definitely going to help you out because so much of trading is based on expectations and probability. If you take stat and finance you'll be fine but keep in mind they hire liberal arts majors too. Just don't lose sight of why you want to be a trader or if interests change why AM or IB or ER... Story trumps individualized curriculum...

Anonymous1:

Now, did this help with banking? The answer is: not really.

rufiolove:

^^^ Re: the above post, no one gives a shit... Go pat yourself on the back some more. Once you get an interview they don't care what super duper awesome math projects or differential equations you solved. You're not going to be deriving the quadratic formula for fun or looking at labra curves... You're going to be updating pitchbvooks using simple math... If you can add subtract and divide you'll be fine.

I'm curious what value your post added. Did you finish reading what I wrote? I probably helped the OP more than anyone else.

Now go fucking die.

okay okay I get it, so:

Math >= Statistics

Yes?

I'm currenty doing major in finance and minor in statistics. Before picking such combination, I talked to a lot of professors who worked in industry. They say that both degrees perfectly complement each other! Also, after "basic" math classes, math gets really theoretical and it would have no implementation in finance, when stats you can always apply in finance. IMO perfect combination. Good luck!