Hi all, I am applealing to your expertise in the Quant world to give me some advice. I have just been admitted to both the MSF at GW and the MS in statistics at the same university. I applied to statistics because I think it provides a good foundation with which to later apply to a top MQF or MFE program. My background is not in engineering, but in Finance and Economics, so I am no math wiz although my GREs were not that bad. Do you think that doing the MS in Stats is a good idea, or a waste of time and money? How does that option compare to going directly to the MSF at GW?Thanks a lot for any opinions!

why would you rather not do a MQF or MFE program instead....or maybe invest the 1-2 years in getting some experience and then apply to a top MQF/MFE programme.

think you will better prepared for a quant role with financial engineeringbut you are also less qualified for other roles (just my two pence)

a decent financial engineering course will give a good grounding in stats anyway. Good courses to look at in london at the birkbeck course and new imperial course - both are reasonably technical

Juan,It mostly depends on what you would like to do after graduation. Let me give you an example. If your interest is in statistical arbitrage and trading then MS in statistics is more appropriate. But if you like to be in risk management then statistics is not necessary where you can do MFE and be probably better prepared for the role. If you don't know what you would like to the after graduation getting masters in statistics by taking all your electives from MFE program might be a good option. This is usually a better option monetary wise too since you can get a TA position whereas you would have to pay for MFE. This is an option for US but I don't know England.I also agree with Virus here that if you can go into one of those programs with one or two years of experience it makes a big difference. Not only you get more out of it but will also have connections in the industry for getting a job after graduation.

MA statistics from columbia univ. Any one joining there or a graduate from there can throw some light on placement scene and opportunities?i am presently into analytics and enjoying my job. shd i leave this one for ma stats at cu? also cu does not provide nay aid though i hope to get some part time work with my contact in ny.

I want to thank you all for your replies. Quantumar, thanks a lot for your detailed answer. I have relied on your answer heavily when making my decision.I have chosen to do Stats. Besides hoping that it will give me an edge for a future MFE at a top university, I am looking forward to facing the challenge of a very technical degree. Hopefully I will find some use for it at my current job too, which gives me the liberty of incorporating some "brainstorming" and innovation. Good luck to everyone with their current endeavours.