I've read several articles in search for an ideal list for grad school in the US and have concluded my action plan below, but I still have some questions and would like to know how you guys think. Here's my quick stat:
Experience: 3yr boutique global macro strategy hf
Bachelor: econ at NTU in Taiwan, ranking #68 in 2016 Qs World Top 100 university
GPA: 3.5/4
Certificate: CFA LV 3 Candidates
GRE: 327 (V160, Q167) (->equivalently GMAT ~710. Long story for taking GRE instead of GMAT)
Motivation: want to try out working in the U.S, possibly also in buy side. But since my company does not have big brand name and I think it would be nice to sharpen some finance knowledge and quantitative application, a graduate degree should help me do both. So, question then becomes: MBA or Master of Finance?
Each has pros and cons for example:
MBA
Pros: experienced and diversified peers/ environment to learn more for later stage mgmt role.
Cons: Costly for 2yrs, <4yrs entry, less exposure to solid finance knowledge (exception: finance concentration)
MFin
Pros: Specialization of finance knowledge, cost-efficient (1yr), STEM eligibility
Cons: Peers with less experience, usually entry level job after graduation
->Since rarity for MFin program in top-tier schools, my decision currently becomes: Apply both, if, for example, MIT MFin give me admission, then MIT. If not, wait for MBA with finance concentration.
Still, my questions here are:
1. Do people mostly agree with the idea of attending MBA better given enough budget?
- Do experienced people come out from MFin get entry-level jobs too? Or maybe the experienced should not even enroll in MFin, if they are not industry changer?
- Would IDE at Yale and SIPA at Columbia (with intl fin and econ policy concentration) not work because widely different compared to B-school environment? Since as an econ major, I guess if not finance, further studies at econ-related might build good skill sets but less about career assistance and alumni networking into the finance field.
Just wanna know how you guys think. Thanks for helping.
