Hello everyone,I am currently attending a renowned german university and studying for an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics.I will probably get accepted for the msc mathematics at Cambridge University (the CASM) next year, and I might also have the opportunity to do the mphil statistics at cambridge.How strong is my profile when applying for a graduate trading role after finishing one of these? Will the banks always prefer the person who also did their undergrad at oxbridge/LSE or would I have a good shot assuming nearly perfect grades? Would a PhD financial mathematics, a PhD statistics or a master of financial math/eng. be able to further improve my profile? I am only asking about applying for a graduate trading program here. thanks in advance everyone.

First of all don't call the CASM a MSc because it isn't and it shows your lack of knowledge... It may be the same level as a MSc, but it isn't one period. Secondly either you'll be able to network and find someone who likes you and will give you a shot. frankly.... if you don't have good internships it will be difficult for you to compete. If you are thinking sales or structuring for the German region then you will have an edge, but for trading doubtful... Also to do CASM and the MPhil looks stupid, because you could do the same curriculum in CASM as you can in MPhil in statistics, actually CASM has a better reputation than the MPhil... Also why are you doing part III if you want a trader role... It will look like you could not get a trader role this year... and yes there will be people who think thi way... Do yourself a favour enrol for level oe of the CFA, and concentrate on NOT being a douchebag... then you will have a slim chance as opposed to none. Best of luck buddy.

Well the CASM will be "upgraded" to Msc status next year I believe. And I wasn't thinking of doing CASM => MPhil, I was thinking either or. I was under the impression that the CFA is actually useless for trading and only good for portfolio management. So what woul be the standard way of getting into a graduate trading program? I talked to a fixed income trader at a big IB who had a statistics msc and he told me he had seen many msc stat/applied math people in trading. Where do you work martingale buster? quant or sales/trading?

If you don't really have any internship just forget trading roles in the top tier banks in London. If you want roles in continental europe then yes jobs are easy to obtain there.

thanks for your replies so far. well I don't have an internship YET, but that doesn't mean I won't have one until I applie for these positions. I've still got enough time.

and just to clarify I'm talking about a role in the UK. I mainly want to know if my german non oxbridge undergrad will hugely negatively impact my chances

mathsteve, I should cut you some slack because you are young and inexperienced, but I am not going to. If you are worried about my pedigree I worked at GS for a while as a strategist and currently work at a major quant fund.Let's review what you have said now... You are asking us on a public forum what your chances are for getting into a junior trading role after a 1 year program... but you claim you spoke to s FI trader already, why not ask him? You say you are from a renowned German unversity, well I am sorry, but who gives a f-ck, yes you are at a disadvantage to the guys from Oxbridge/LSE because they will already have had MULTIPLE internships at the uk banks and know a lot of people... this should be obvious to someone even from a non-renowned German University... I think you have no idea how competitive things have become with FAR fewer of these positions available... what edge do you have? No-one really cares about grades at such a junior level, just that you went to a top school, and did reasonably - what counts for far more is PERSONALITY and PERCEIVED talent... Your questions do not exactly bode well for you in this respect. That being said if you run into an alumnus of your undergrad you will have a potential edge there... maybe.All the analysts who weren't dingbats in S&T at GS either completed or attempted (but ended up not sitting the exam) for level one of the CFA program... For a guy who knows nothing aka YOU - it would not only teach you something, but it would show INITIATIVE and INTEREST on your part.But all this being said it is going to be HYPER competitive and getting the job ill be like getting into business school - the grades will be the least of the factors weighed.Lastly, you ask if your non-UK undergrad will negatively impact your chances... this is a bad sign about your decision making process... you express your plan to go into S&T, but worry about a negative factor which you have no control over... How can you trade effectively if you worry about things that you have no control over (unless of course at your renowned German Uni they are teaching time travel 101)Dude, you need to grow up a little use your common sense a litte more, and ad a bit of charm to your personality - THEN your chances will go from nonexistant to crap - just like everybody elses... And I think that is enough free advice for one day... the next one will cost you $$$.

Bad day Martingale? Did some trader shout at you for doing something stupid this morning? I think you've been unnecessarily harsh on the guy. OP: for trading, work experiene and extra-curricular activities are more important than academics, provided you already go to a "top" school, which you say you do. Concentrate on building your CV in that regard.

Barny,MartingaleBuster says he works at a quant fund... At quant funds there aren't traders per se... well not ones in charge at least. That is the whole point of working at a quant fund... as a PhD you don't work for 24 yr old frat boys who don't really know what they are doing... in fact most of those "hardcore" traders couldn't even get an interview to work for HR at a quant fund. And Barny, the Op is an idiot... and would face precisely that kind of criticism from those dbag traders. And for the record from his posting and attitude the OP doesn't strike me as an extra-curricular kind of guy... he sounds like a top grades kind of guy.

... be careful my frient, tshere is no sourkraut over tshere in tshe UhhhKahhh!

QuoteOriginally posted by: mathsteveHello everyone,I am currently attending a renowned german university and studying for an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics.I will probably get accepted for the msc mathematics at Cambridge University (the CASM) next year, and I might also have the opportunity to do the mphil statistics at cambridge.How strong is my profile when applying for a graduate trading role after finishing one of these? Will the banks always prefer the person who also did their undergrad at oxbridge/LSE or would I have a good shot assuming nearly perfect grades? Would a PhD financial mathematics, a PhD statistics or a master of financial math/eng. be able to further improve my profile? I am only asking about applying for a graduate trading program here. thanks in advance everyone.Depends on what type of trading you want to do dude. If you want to go to a quantly HF, then it will help, if you want to start on a flow desk and enter prop then you don't need it and am probably wasting your time in my view doing a phd

QuoteOriginally posted by: MartingaleBustermathsteve, I should cut you some slack because you are young and inexperienced, but I am not going to. If you are worried about my pedigree I worked at GS for a while as a strategist and currently work at a major quant fund.Let's review what you have said now... You are asking us on a public forum what your chances are for getting into a junior trading role after a 1 year program... but you claim you spoke to s FI trader already, why not ask him? You say you are from a renowned German unversity, well I am sorry, but who gives a f-ck, yes you are at a disadvantage to the guys from Oxbridge/LSE because they will already have had MULTIPLE internships at the uk banks and know a lot of people... this should be obvious to someone even from a non-renowned German University... I think you have no idea how competitive things have become with FAR fewer of these positions available... what edge do you have? No-one really cares about grades at such a junior level, just that you went to a top school, and did reasonably - what counts for far more is PERSONALITY and PERCEIVED talent... Your questions do not exactly bode well for you in this respect. That being said if you run into an alumnus of your undergrad you will have a potential edge there... maybe.All the analysts who weren't dingbats in S&T at GS either completed or attempted (but ended up not sitting the exam) for level one of the CFA program... For a guy who knows nothing aka YOU - it would not only teach you something, but it would show INITIATIVE and INTEREST on your part.But all this being said it is going to be HYPER competitive and getting the job ill be like getting into business school - the grades will be the least of the factors weighed.Lastly, you ask if your non-UK undergrad will negatively impact your chances... this is a bad sign about your decision making process... you express your plan to go into S&T, but worry about a negative factor which you have no control over... How can you trade effectively if you worry about things that you have no control over (unless of course at your renowned German Uni they are teaching time travel 101)Dude, you need to grow up a little use your common sense a litte more, and ad a bit of charm to your personality - THEN your chances will go from nonexistant to crap - just like everybody elses... And I think that is enough free advice for one day... the next one will cost you $$$.Mate, it's people like you who give investment bankers a bad name.Jesus, listen to yourself.

this industry makes a lot of fuss about terms like "major", "top-tier", "excellent", "pedigree", "reputation", "renowned" stuff like that. i was surprised to learn how many mediocre skilled people work for IBanks and have huge paycheques. sure, there are some technical roles for which you need some bright people but those are by far the minority. for instance, i know a stock analyst and some guy working as a sales person for Marks&Spencer. they could easily swap jobs, you wouldnt even realise .

QuoteOriginally posted by: yaourtthis industry makes a lot of fuss about terms like "major", "top-tier", "excellent", "pedigree", "reputation", "renowned" stuff like that.Most of that is marketing. The fact is that job in an investment bank is a job in a big huge corporate bureaucracy, and if you get a large group of people, most people are average.

QuoteOriginally posted by: twofishQuoteOriginally posted by: yaourtthis industry makes a lot of fuss about terms like "major", "top-tier", "excellent", "pedigree", "reputation", "renowned" stuff like that.Most of that is marketing. The fact is that job in an investment bank is a job in a big huge corporate bureaucracy, and if you get a large group of people, most people are average.depends how you select that group obviously. i would think that in "prestigious" roles at ibanks, people are on average better than the average in other industries (and with lower variation) simply because so many people are competing for these jobs.