October 16, 2019

On October 11, Karen and Xiaoyu, students from MS in Data Analytics & Business Computing and MS in Quantitative Finance, shared their experience during the information session held by the Graduate Admission Office. They talked about why they applied for the programs, and the study experience at New York and Shanghai campuses. Here are some excerpts of student sharings and Q&A  from the event.

 

Karen:

I got a dual degree in  Marketing and Interactive Media Arts. I am going to talk about what motivated me to apply for this program, the advantages of this program and some tips  for future applicants.

I heard about the program from the program director and went to one of the on-campus information sessions. One of the things that really attracted me is that it’s really industry-focused. Now Big Data is a trendy word and I thought this program was really unique and this was a really good opportunity. So after talking to my parents, I decided to give it a try.

As for the advantages of this program, first of all, we have a lot of resources. If you are an academic person, we have a lot of library support. For example, we have access to a lot of paid databases by using our NYU NetID, which is really good. Also if you want to do some research that requires some unique hard copy materials, which are in New York, Florence or anywhere around the world, you can just request in the NYU Global Community and the materials will be shipped to you for free.

Besides really good library resources, we have a lot of good experiential learning experience  as well. For example, the program director arranged a lot of company visits for us, so we can really get first hand industry experience. You get to talk to a lot of people who work in this industry for quite a long time and you get really fresh and first-hand experiences.

So those are the major advantages. As for the recommendations for application, first of all, for myself, I am not really a data person. My undergraduate study is not actually relevant to this program. I got a lot of students asking me, what if my undergraduate major is not relevant? Can I still apply for this program? The answer is definitely“Go For It”. Don’t worry too much about the major but definitely think about why you want to apply to this program. If there is something you really want, then go for it.

 

 

Xiaoyu:

My undergraduate major is finance. Karen shared a lot of things about her motivation  and practice about applying for the program, so I will share more experiences at NYU Stern in New York and here at NYU Shanghai.

The first thing I would like to highlight is the faculty from NYU Stern. For example, Prof. Cliff Hurvich, our professor of Statistics is very famous in the field. He got a PhD degree from Princeton University. I’m in the Quantitative Finance program, our program director, Prof. Jeffrey Wurgler, is also a reputable professor in the Finance field. Other professors have abundant academic experience, such as Prof. Alexi Savov, who’s famous for his option return research. 

We also enjoy other resources like CDC, the Career Development Center, which provides us with on-campus jobs, full time jobs or part-time internship opportunities. We can search on the Internet and quickly apply for it. CDC helps you to revise your CV and prepare for your job interviews, which is very helpful. You can make appointments with them or just walk in  during their fixed office hours. We also have company visits. We went to the Federal Reserve in New York and also NASDAQ. It's really fantastic and precious.

Finally for some application tips. The first and foremost important thing I think is that you have to know why you want to choose the program. That's the most important thing. You need to know what you want to gain from the program, what your objects are. Secondly, you need to know what are your advantages over other applicants, because you need to think about why you believe you should be admitted to the program. And the third thing is the two essay questions, one is for your professional aspirations, the other is for six photos. You should use six different style photos to show your diversity and passion. Last but not least, you will also be required to submit only one  recommendation letter. For this I believe you shouldn’t go for big names, instead you should ask someone who really knows you well to write a recommendation letter for you. 

Q&A

Q: I am deeply attracted by the Quantitative Finance Program and will definitely apply for it. So can you give some tips for the preparation?

Xiaoyu: The MS in Quantitative Finance program requires three pre-enrollment courses. So I suppose you should  learn Math as much as possible. Math is very important, because some professors just teach you the model. And if you don't know the basic math, you can't understand what he is talking about.

Secondly, as for the preparation for the program you need to learn Finance as we are the Quantitative Finance major. For the quantitative part you should know math and for the finance part you should know finance. Like the professor I mentioned before, they will not start from the very beginning of finance. They will start from a very high level. So you need to study courses such as finance investment or even international finance before you join the program.

 

 

 

Q: I’m just curious about the difference between the two programs, which one do you think requests more math knowledge?

Karen: 

The Data Analytics & Business Computing program definitely requires solid computer science skills, as well as maths skills. As for the MS in QF program, it’s math and coding intensive, as calculus is one of the pre-requisite courses.