Chances at these Finance schools?

Graduate School
1

<p>Howdy folks,</p>

<p>I'm currently a senior at UC Davis and I'm due to graduate in 8 days. My major is Economics and I minored in both Statistics and Math. My goal is to attend a decent grad school for finance (financial economics, financial engineering, or financial mathematics.)</p>

<p>My stats are:
Overall GPA: 3.79
GRE: 790Q/770V/5.5W - 1560
Graduating with High Honors
Finished Honors Thesis related to financial economics
3 excellent recs - I spent a year developing relations with these professors
ECs: Several, including internship at Morgan Stanley (but I heard it doesn't really matter for Grad school)</p>

<p>Anyways, my target schools are Columbia (Financial Engineering), NYU (Financial Mathematics), Oxford (Financial Economics), USC (Fin. Math), and finally John Hopkins (Financial Economics)</p>

<p>My dream school, however, is Princeton (Fin.Economics)</p>

<p>Judging by my stats, what do you guys think my chances are at these schools? Thanks in advance</p>

2

<p>Whoa Blurry. Its like reading my own Stats! Although my GPA is 3.75 and really skewed because i got two C's and two B's which ruined my GPA. I have straight A's in all the other semesters. Co-incidentally, i'm interested in the same academic programs. although i'd like to add,</p>

<p>Cambridge-Judge School of Business (MPhil Finance)
Vanderbilt<em>MS Finance
Imperial College London</em>M.Sc Mathematical Finance</p>

<p>I'm an international student and I'll be on a higher education commission scholarship. Whoever answers the above thread, please include the schools and programs I've listed above too. </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

3

<p>Princeton's program is probably out of reach. I'd add Vanderbilt to your list as a safety and possibly Berkeley's financial engineering program as a reach. Columbia is a reach; Oxford is probably unrealistic (the foreign schools will not recognize your UGrad university).</p>

<p>But I'd say your chances are very good at JHU and USC; not sure about Courant. You might consider applying to some PhD programs and leaving after you've acquired your master's degree.</p>

4

<p>Intalgio5, is there a specific reason any university will let you into its PhD program more easily than the Financial Engineering/ Financial Math program?</p>

5

<p>I find alot of what intaglio says suspect, especially the part about Oxford not recognizing UC Davis...</p>

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<p>jm, do you go to UC-davis?</p>

7

<p>No, I dont. I go to school in Canada but am very familiar with the UC system as well as UC Davis.</p>

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<p>the PhD programs are more selective but free</p>

9

<p>I dont know about finance, but alot of masters degrees in the UK, especially from LSE, Oxford and Cambridge are considered cash grabs. Their PhD programs on the other hand are often very difficult to be admitted to.</p>