<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>I was accepted into the University of Chicago with a $5,000 scholarship. However, today I was admitted into a five year BS/MS program in industrial or financial mathematics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute with the fifth year free and a $15,000 per year scholarship for the four undergraduate years. I want to major in math of some sort, probably financial. Which should I choose? Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Do you want to work in finance front-office? If so then UChicago will get you okay recruiting. WPI will not. </p>
<p>If your goal is a math pHD, then I think that you should explore other opportunities that will save money unless money is not an issue for you.</p>
<p>I am not thinking PhD. I probably will do finances, investment banking, but I’m not entirely sure.</p>
<p>Free MS is not a big deal. You can get one any time. If math is the desired major, go to Chicago. The $10k is a lot, sure, but the math department at WPI is marginal at best. I go to WPI; my brother to Chicago. WPI is a very good engineering school. Chicago math is one of the best and has good finance connections. Go to chicago if you can afford it; it is also relatively tough to get into (not ivy level, but still).</p>
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<p>Hard industry to break into without being recruited, unless you have connections. UChicago gets pretty good recruiting. WPI has no recruiting, and if it does get any it will be for technology positions. That doesn’t seem to be what you’re interested in though.</p>
<p>^ WPI did have Goldman Sachs come over to the Career Fair and they were recruiting for non-technology positions as well so it seems that WPI is getting more traction in the finance world. I knew a senior analyst with a BSME from WPI and an MS in MechE from BU who is in Finance. It isn’t impossible to make it into the finance world from WPI. However, WPI is not a target school for BB/IB either.</p>