r/quantfinance

I'm a junior at Columbia, and I'm just realizing that I want to do QT. I'm super behind for this internship cycle. What should I try to do this summer if I can't get a trading internship? Is recruiting for new grads completely cooked with no competition math and no prior trading internships?

I'd really appreciate any advice on what to do. I'm willing to stay here and do my MFE, but I've heard that's not super beneficial for trading roles.

I'm a recruited high school athlete deciding between a supported opportunity at Columbia, potentially Yale, and taking an admissions risk on MIT.

Long term, I'm primarily interested in quantitative finance or software engineering. Investment banking is another possibility, although right now quant/SWE fit my interests more naturally.

Assume I'm academically strong enough to pursue math/CS seriously at any of the three schools.

My situation:

• Columbia: recruiting support is available now, D1 athletics, I visited and really liked both NYC and the team. A lot of teammates seem very career-driven and there are people going into finance/IB/tech.
• Yale: may also offer recruiting support; D1, probably the strongest traditional residential/social college experience of the three.
• MIT: I'm the top recruit on one coach's list, but admission is still not guaranteed. I'd potentially have to turn down the Columbia/Yale recruiting opportunities before finding out whether MIT admits me. MIT would also mean D3 athletics.

The part I'm trying to understand is the actual career difference.

If my goal is something like Jane Street / Citadel / HRT / other top quant firms, or top SWE roles, is MIT enough of an advantage over Columbia or Yale that it should materially affect this decision?

Or once you're choosing among schools at this level, does individual ability—math ability, coding, interview preparation, internships, research, etc.—matter much more than MIT vs Columbia vs Yale?

I also love NYC and genuinely liked Columbia's team/culture, so this isn't simply a rankings question.

For people who actually work in quant/SWE or recruit in these fields: how differently would you view a very strong Columbia/Yale CS/math student versus an MIT student?

I'm especially interested in the difference in:

1. recruiting access,
2. preparation/coursework,
3. strength of peer environment,
4. internship opportunities,
5. whether MIT materially raises the ceiling for someone targeting elite quant roles.

I heard that coming from the right testicle is good if you want to get into IB or quant dev roles but left testicle is better for trader or QR or working at botique shops. Someone else told me that I'm overthinking it and recruiters care less about which nut you came from once you have a few months in the womb. who is right?

As the title reads, how much of an edge does double majoring give in the interview process, and is it worth the time commitment, stress, financial strain (no parental support, they're underpaid laborers), and additional year(s?) of undergrad?

I am currently majoring in physics (my first love, I will not trade this major away for a replacement), and would like to help boost my chances of landing internships and later positions in the quantitative research field.

Would you recommend enrolling in an additional computer science major? Or, in another related major (mathematics, statistics, etc.)?

Context: While I am currently at a non-target school, I will be looking to transfer next year. You can assume, for the sake of this post, that I am enrolled in a moderate semi target school. I honestly just do not feel adaquete in comparison to the people who land quant research positions, I continually fail practice logic problems that many here have claimed easy and I struggle to think under pressure. Plus, I have always enjoyed the tension of a challenge and double majoring would seem rather fun.

Hi there, im trying to decide between these double majors. I really love maths (olympaid style) so I'll be doing a math major no matter what. However im struggling between CS or EE. I think CS would be the more standard pathway however I also have this growing interest in robotics so I feel like EE would allow me to pivot to that (correct me if im wrong).

I will me aiming for quant trader positions as apposed to dev roles which is why I don't think a double major with CS is as crucial especially considering I already have years of competitive programming experience but idk rlly.

Just trying to choose the combination which suits quant but allows me to pivot if my goals/interests change.

Got first round technical for IMC. Was told it’ll a problem then a game. Curious if anyone has insights.