Get Competitive NOW for MFE & Master's Programs
Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 6:00 AM PDT. Hosted by Fiona Taft.
In this webinar, Fiona Taft covered upcoming application deadlines for several MFE programs, how to choose a program, and the parts of a competitive…
What this session covered
In this webinar, Fiona Taft covered upcoming application deadlines for several MFE programs, how to choose a program, and the parts of a competitive application, including resumes, statements of purpose, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, transcripts and interviews. She also discussed prerequisite coursework and what applicants should be doing this fall. She answered questions about work experience, recommenders and Baruch's pre-MFE courses.
Key takeaways
- Fiona said several MFE deadlines are close, with Baruch's first deadline on November 1, UCLA's MFE on November 30, Princeton's on December 15, both Columbia programs on January 15 and NYU Courant's in February, and UC Berkeley's application most likely opening in January. With the session held on October 1, she said applicants had anywhere from 30 to 60 to maybe 90 days to prepare for some programs, so now is the time to lock in recommenders.
- When choosing a program, check whether it has an internship period and whether an internship is required for graduation, which matters especially for international students and OPT.
- Review each program's placement report to see which companies, sides of the market and quant roles graduates landed in, since that reflects the return on your investment.
- Statements of purpose must answer every question asked and follow the length and formatting directions, because ignoring them signals poor attention to detail to the committee.
- Have at least one academic recommender who knows you well and can speak to your readiness for graduate-level quantitative work, rather than a professor from a large lecture who only saw your exam scores.
- Fiona said she recommends that all of her clients take the GRE and aim for the 80th to 90th percentile, which signals readiness for quant-level work, and that a strong quant score can offset a slightly lower GPA. She said to take it this fall before applying, and if you haven't taken it yet, you may want to apply in the second deadline rather than the first.
- If there is one prerequisite course you absolutely need, it is calculus-based probability and statistics.
Questions covered
Answers are edited for clarity.
Once you get an MFE, does work experience matter for recruiters?
Yes, it does, and it matters for the programs as well. Programs want your resume to understand your work experience; with none but some research experience, you may still get into some programs, but they want to know whether you're employable and will interview and present well. Employers want the full package, technical skills plus the ability to explain very technical work to a non-technical team.
For an applicant several years out of school, does a set of letters from a math instructor at a pre-university program taken years ago, plus a former manager and a senior colleague, make sense, or is there a gap to fill before the deadline?
Graduating years ago doesn't rule you out. If the math instructor was from secondary school, it really depends on the relationship, and it would help to know whether they're a professor or a postdoc. A former manager and a senior colleague is always strong, whether in tech or finance. I'd need more information about the academic recommender, but you might also consider someone from undergrad.
Can someone get into Baruch's MFE or its pre-MFE courses as a fresher? I think Baruch has an internship period.
Baruch has pre-MFE courses, and if you're considering Baruch, it's a really good idea to take them. Some run October to December and some January to February, and you have to apply with an SOP rather than just sign up. Baruch does have an internship period. It depends how prepared you are; Baruch is a top program with a smaller cohort, so it can be very competitive.
What if the pre-university program was a community college?
When you say pre-university, it can often mean secondary school. If it means community college, then going back to that earlier question, that could be a very good recommender.
For applicants coming from software engineering, how should they guide an engineering manager or senior colleague to write a strong recommendation letter?
Even in software engineering, you need attention to detail and strong analytical and quantitative abilities. Talk with those colleagues about what you want in the letter, which is that they'd highly recommend you for advanced quantitative and analytical coursework and for a quantitative or analytical program, based on your skills. Those can be your analytical or technical skills, so there are a lot of ways to guide them.