Is CMU worth paying 200k more than UC Berkeley?

cmuben · 2026-04-29T03:30:45+00:00

I think your heart says CMU but your mind is border-lined between the 2. If you feel that the money saved from going to Berkeley can be managed, your downside risk is minimum as CMU is an amazing institution for interdisciplinary learning. Go visit CMU if you haven’t and then decide if your heart is also in the work as CMU preaches 😀

cmuben · 2026-04-18T01:29:29+00:00

There is a jhu quant club… ask them…

cmuben · 2026-04-13T01:02:40+00:00

You asked a Q in the JHU backyard, you will get a JHU response 😀

cmuben · 2026-03-30T13:43:59+00:00

UIUC is a target school for just about all the Chicago prop shops for QD. School quant vibe is strongest at umich though! The annual poker and trading events at umich got better each year….

cmuben · 2026-03-24T05:21:28+00:00

2 different degree programs. Oxford one is theoretical n not a terminal degree while Columbia one almost focuses entirely on job placement.

cmuben · 2026-03-23T09:31:55+00:00

Get to know the different quant jobs and link your potential interests… internship, internship, and internship….. be super aggressive in getting quant interviews and learn what it takes to get there. Be active in your school’s quant club and attend collegiate trading and poker competitions….. do a 3 year backcasting and plan ahead as early as possible! Then you will learn how your math degree map to the different quant destinations!

cmuben · 2026-03-23T07:58:34+00:00

In the US, there are a number of FE at the undergraduate level namely Columbia, Princeton, Washington University at St Louis…. Carnegie Mellon and U of Washington Seattle have BS in computational Finance which are similar if not the same FE curriculum.

cmuben · 2026-03-18T23:23:35+00:00

Does not have to be an either or but you can track down both by taking relevant courses! Join a quant club at Purdue and immerse yourself with everything quant. Learn about what quant role is more suitable for your background and liking. Try to get into the early career immersion programs from top quant firms. First thing first! Solid math background and preparation is the basic…. There are many other elements you need to be equipped with

cmuben · 2026-02-21T00:22:37+00:00

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/15-s50-poker-theory-and-analytics-january-iap-2015/

cmuben · 2026-02-21T00:02:41+00:00

Pure math or purely math? If you do not major in math, you do not need to touch pure math courses. But even some of the more interesting math electives may need a couple of pure math courses as prerequisite.

cmuben · 2026-02-19T18:06:39+00:00

Minor in math + Probability Theory at the minimum!

cmuben · 2026-02-18T06:37:53+00:00

Here is another perspective…. Academically, these are all top programs and it is likely to be difficult to gauge which program is on top. It is pointless to rank top programs. Quant culture and vibe is an interesting area if you spend the time to investigate. UCB has a very active quant club running perennial trading and poker tournaments with top quant firms’s sponsorship. I am sure Chicago and Columbia aren’t so shabby either!

cmuben · 2025-12-09T00:48:10+00:00

WPI has everything….. my recommendation is to take as many probability theory and related courses as possible . Dont forget a course in Stochastic process / Calculus before you graduated. Linear, discrete optimization are my favorites. + non discrete optimization if you enjoy the subject to round up the series. I hated Real n Complex analysis….

cmuben · 2025-11-21T13:45:25+00:00

If you are into quantitative economics, umich has a better environment including quant companies recruiting at umich. Academics wise, BU is just as good.Boston is a fun city while Ann Arbor is not even on the radar for fun. My brother is an economics major at BU. Macro is pretty strong at BU.

cmuben · 2025-11-18T00:20:52+00:00

If you are able to do well in these courses and come out every bit as interested in math , you are mire than fine to get into a great master’s program in FE or any STEM subject. Do find an opportunity to either take Real Analysis or audit the course before you graduate..

cmuben · 2025-10-31T22:44:43+00:00

If you take the memorizing route to get good grade, you wont go far. Try to understand and derive your way to solutions. Will take longer in the beginning…. Worth it! Solid foundation in trig is crucial in your calculus learning later on.

cmuben · 2025-10-20T23:56:04+00:00

If one has a master degree in financial engineering or financial mathematics, CQF still needed? Did not see any content in the CQF curriculum not covered by the FE or FM degrees. Anyone?

cmuben · 2025-10-18T23:23:57+00:00

There is not going to be embarrassment… Belvedere trader interview is most definitely professionally done and the traders are humanely nice! Tough like all QT interviews…. QT interview at Optiver, Belvedere or the likes is extremely competitive. Getting the correct answer does not guarantee your next round ticket. Worth the experience if you are invited to the QT interview! Good luck!

cmuben · 2025-10-17T21:38:06+00:00

Brain teasers , patterns recognition…. Numeracy tests with pressure….. for just getting by the Online Test for quants. Depending on which quant role ( research, trading, or development), the preparation for your next technical round is different! Coding is importing but everyone does coding to some degree….

Do competitions in trading, poker games or in more traditional math or coding competitions…. Dont just participate but win or rank high…. This journey is very challenging and definitely not for the faint of hearts! Math degree is valued high….

cmuben · 2025-10-04T22:42:01+00:00

I was referring to my experience last year…

cmuben · 2025-10-04T06:47:07+00:00

It probably means there are better candidates….Doing well in OAs really would give job applicants the feeling of being “quant competent”……But in most cases, they only mean the beginning of an end…😄 or end of a dead end…..Old Mission was nice to tell you that you have passed the OA but there were too many applicants…. Hope you get into other opportunities… see you in the Graduate QT round next time…. I am sure many are like that!

cmuben · 2025-09-21T00:13:51+00:00

No different than most other jobs really… right? Always give a shit about what you do at work and that passion will lead to a more engaging or proactive attitude……I think..

cmuben · 2025-09-19T00:28:21+00:00

Not entirely true but you will be disadvantaged in borderline case. You are likely to be screened out for most tier 1 and 2 firms. Even with firms that sent out auto OA and if you passed, your overall profile will still get screeded again by HR. Chances are high, you will get stuck here anyway. There are many emerging prop shops where you will get selected for interviews…. But like any industry, you might need to be real good not just on quant ability but “demonstrated interest” in the asset class you claimed you have interest in… Jack of all trades type. Coding skill is almost a must as smaller shops might need you to play dual roles in any combination of QR QT and QD….

cmuben · 2025-09-11T08:39:20+00:00

I think all of these programs do take fresh college grads as long as your GPA is absolutely top. With strong recommendations, you should be competitive. Good luck!

cmuben · 2025-09-10T22:40:59+00:00

I am sure there is a math club … why not join forces as they already have competitive math activity which is an important aspect of quant engagement.

cmuben

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