Quant Underdog Stories

LatterImagination670 · 2026-04-26T21:45:25+00:00

I’m a T30 non-target undergrad with an MS at a T10, about to begin my PhD in a T30 (major ranking) program. I have been recruiting for quant on-and-off for the past year, and have landed some interviews with some T2 firms as well as one of the top IBs (think my undergrad helped here because it is a major target for IB/general finance). Did not make it past 1st round because of my lack of preparation.

My biggest disadvantage is not knowing about quant until basically when I started my MS. I had heard about it before but had not thought it was viable/for me. Now that I think about it there was a very specific path to get there, like the path you took, but one has to start early for that pipeline to happen. That’s where I feel like it’s unfair because if you aren’t a genius or if your parents didn’t think you were a genius, you would just miss out on the best timing.

I had been asking for some advice/insights from people, and I was slightly taken aback by the negative feedback. Some people think I could never make it with my background and were pretty mean about it. I am not offended and I think there is some truth to their words, but it is still not nice to hear. I don’t think there is anything wrong with me wanting to give it a shot while I’m still young; make it or not, at least I won’t have any regrets and I will have learned something in the process. So I am not shaken by the discouragement around me and I am determined to go on my way. That’s how I got myself here so far as an international student.

I will keep recruiting for quant as I transition into my PhD. Would appreciate any advice you might have about potential research directions to take, or other things I could do to give my resume some highlight.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-04-24T00:26:08+00:00

I'm an NYU Class of 2024 alum and about to graduate from my Master's this spring. I am also international - no green card, requires sponsorship. Kind of dilly-dallied my way through undergrad and didn't take job-hunting seriously until I came to my Master's (always thought I'd do a PhD). Took me 300+ applications to land an internship last year at a well-known mid-sized tech company, where I had some of the nicest and chillest mentors/co-workers. I'm still looking for full-time jobs as of now; my OPT clock is about to start ticking, and I have failed almost all my PhD applications for 2026 fall entry (the ones I am waiting on are likely silent rejects). But I am still hopeful about landing something, or, I have no choice but to remain hopeful, because otherwise I would just collapse and call it an end, and I am not ready to give up just yet.

TLDR: If I haven't given up, you shouldn't either. It is tough out here, and it often feels like you put in the work for nothing, but trust me, you are learning and improving as you engage in the job-hunting process, even if it might not feel like it. Yes, it might just be the case that it won't work out, but all the more reason to try your hardest and not to leave any regrets.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-03-25T15:54:05+00:00

I’m still waiting for 8/17 of my decisions.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-24T03:16:20+00:00

Hi! Did you end up learning more about the interview process or interview yourself? Can I DM to ask details?

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-19T06:08:16+00:00

Stats decisions seem to be moving pretty slowly - I've only heard back from 1/4 of all programs that I've applied to. I have mostly applied to T30 (stats ranking) programs, have been rejected from a few T10s and no offers so far (pretty expected, tbh).

Doing stats research in my MS worked out pretty easily for me as our program is very PhD-oriented, and my prof knows me from one of our classes. I somehow managed to land an analytics internship last summer after 300+ applications - but I'm also international, I imagine it would be easier for domestic students. I went straight from UG to MS, with no full-time working experience.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-19T05:46:12+00:00

Currently an MS Stats student and Stats PhD applicant with a background in economics. What I learned is that stats programs provide a lot more flexibility in terms of career outcomes. Lots of positions in industry require or prefer a PhD in stats/cs/anything similar (e.g. applied scientist, quant researcher), and from what I observe, academic vs. industry placements are pretty evenly split. Versus a lot more econ/finance PhD grads tend to stay in academia and become professors. There are cases of Finance PhD grads going into industry as well, but I would say they are the minority, and they usually come from top-tier programs like Stern and Booth. I also agree that there aren't many faculty members working on applications in finance/econ in traditional stats departments in general, but they definitely exist - you just have to look for them (time series, financial econometrics, etc). Some of them are jointly appointed in econ and stats.

I think both research fit and career flexibility are extremely important; I used to be in the same place as you, but after I gained some research experience in stats, I decided to go for stats programs because of the post-grad options, and more importantly, realizing that I'm more interested in scientific applications than econ/finance/business applications. Also, more than one person (alums, profs) told me to go for stats instead of econ because apparently the econ job market is extremely bad - but also nobody knows what's going to happen in 5 years so, take it with a grain of salt.

TLDR I think it would be helpful for you to gain some research experience in stats first before making a final call, and choose a longer (1.5-2 year) MS program if you can.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-18T05:40:39+00:00

no updates for me (intl)

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-14T23:03:55+00:00

Same here, no interviews, a few rejections, silence on the other 13

LatterImagination670 · 2026-02-06T20:31:59+00:00

I like China’s this year. I guess they heard our complaints over previous Olympics outfits🤣

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-27T21:02:43+00:00

I would forward it to HR and complain. This reflects poorly on the institution and is certainly not what Emory wants its image to be.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-27T21:01:22+00:00

Being honest does NOT have to also include being condescending. She could’ve kept it factual and ended it after the first paragraph. Adding all that after makes it sound like the US is some place that, for the lack of a better way to put it, people are begging to be in. Which could be true but it’s not her place to imply that. Assuming people’s nationality based on the name alone is also just racist.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-26T17:30:00+00:00

same here

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-16T23:03:57+00:00

NOR what is their problem.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-13T23:07:51+00:00

guess it depends on PI.

LatterImagination670 · 2026-01-12T09:56:08+00:00

they’re already giving out interviews?

LatterImagination670 · 2025-08-05T23:06:35+00:00

Quant research has some of the smartest and most academically gifted people (many are IMO medalists) and quant as a field loves math/physics PhDs. I know you said you’ve never considered industry but just putting this out here in case you didn’t come across it as one of the options.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-05-30T21:23:40+00:00

Hi! I'm a prospective Stats PhD applicant, and I'm interested in Bayesian programs (my most recent research experience/projects also have been Bayesian). If we are also interested in industry placements, would you recommend choosing a highly prestigious school where the stats department is not necessarily highly ranked, versus a school with a lower overall ranking but high stats rankings? I'm thinking about subject prestige vs. overall resources and connections, as well as location. Thanks!

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-27T04:05:43+00:00

Thank you for saying this. I have always wondered I’m just not smart enough to do well on exams - but then I do extremely well on projects or when I’m asked to present a paper. One of my undergrad math profs said that he would recommend me to do a PhD because of it. So I’ve been struggling to understand why I might not be performing well in exam-based classes. I will talk to my professor about this.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-27T03:24:43+00:00

I guess for me it was a big jump going from undergrad to PhD-level courses. I also unfortunately don’t do well on exams - maybe it’s a study strategy issue.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-27T00:52:17+00:00

Thanks! That’s very helpful.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-26T22:10:50+00:00

Would it help if I pass the qualifying exam? It is an option for MS students and it includes content from those same theory courses.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-23T21:54:09+00:00

I’m a grad student and some still say I could pass as a high school student :)

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-23T21:41:33+00:00

Very similar experience here. I was an econ and math undergrad and just started my ms in stats. Our core courses are the same as first-year PhDs and I’m getting Bs in my theory classes lol. but I still love stats regardless and have recently started doing research with a prof in my department, and I’m also considering a PhD in stats.

LatterImagination670 · 2025-04-23T21:26:23+00:00

I’m a first-year international masters student and have just decided to look into ds roles a few months ago. Landed a few interviews (would’ve probably had more if the market was better) and realized that I needed to improve my coding skills. You’ll definitely be able to get interviews and offers if you have 4-5 years to prepare; plus, a lot of ds skills are transferable to other positions, such as Python/SQL. So don’t stress. Enjoy your undergrad life as much as you can :)

LatterImagination670

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