You should take the Barron's GRE Guide. There is a word list of 2,000 word. Memorize them completely and totally. It takes about 3 weeks. Then retake GRE. Your verbal score will improve by 200 points. Then try to apply to Top 10 schools. Your quant score is okay and your quant background is decent for MFE. Wall Street has an obsession with hiring only from the top schools. Of course, if you are interested in an academic career, then you can do PhD in Finance from any AACSB-accredited school in USA or Europe and you will get a tenure-track position.

QuoteOriginally posted by: faltuThank you all for your reply.Earlier ,I thought of applying to top schools like Princeton,Cornell,Columbia in their OR/FE department ,since it matches with my Master's background of OR/IE.But most of my friends said that its impossible to break into these schools with my profile.My profile:B.Tech NIT Trichy ( Mech engg) -- GPA 7/10M.S. UFL ( ISE ) ---GPA 3.66/4.0GRE - Q-800/800, V-480/800Any suggestions??Take GRE subject test in Math

double post.

Traderjoe76 is right - try doing an MFE instead of phd from FSU. Try at Princeton, NYU and Berkeley ( in that order). They have good combination of math, finance and career services. Besides PhD from FSU would get you a job somewhere (may be) in Texas but not on the wall street. Both the distance and the school would hurt you at the beginning. Since you already have an admit for PhD you might want to hold on to it mainly because your visa status would be tied to being a student. If you however, apply for OPT now then you won't be able to apply for another OPT after next Masters ( it is okay if you do a phd as it would be considered a different degree).Verbal score could be improved. Also, try applying for PhD in economics instead of finance. It is relatively easy to get into and at places such as Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton and NYU or even Rutgers (am sure there are more), you can do interdisciplinary research with finance professors. You would learn a great deal of econometrics and enough mathematics to find a good job on the street.

I dont think your situation is as black and white as people suggest. Your situation is not the typical one because you already have an MS in a related field. If you had 60K, and had the option of going to FSU for an MFE or to a top 10 MFE, then I would agree with what people have said below. However, you are comparing a PhD with an MFE, which are completely different beasts. You have to ask yourself these questions before you decide:1. Will FSU count your MS towards your PhD?2. Do you have an advisor in mind? If so, is his/her reputation good in academia or industry?3. Do they offer good classes in probability, numerical analysis, and math finance?4. Do you want to be in academia in the future?5. How much do you like Florida?6. Do you currently have a quant job offer?7. Have you gotten close to getting an offer with your current academic background?If your answers to 1-5) are mostly yeses and nos to 6-7), then I would go for the PhD. If your answers to 1-5) are mostly nos but a yes to 6), then dont do either; start applying to jobs now. If you answered no to 1-5) but no to 7), then consider an MFE or MBA at more reputable school.Dont take my or anyone's advice here seriously, do your own research on FSU and the MFEs, and then consider whats best for you. Having said that, I would hire a good math finance PhD (that wrote a good PhD thesis that included theoretical and empirical treatment) from FSU over an Ivy MFE or a top PhD in empirical finance any day. Achieving a high score in your GREs only means that you are well read and can do 5th grader math quickly. It doesnt really translate into being good at higher level math or being able to speak English well.

Then Deepvalue, do you suggest an MFE at Berkeley perhaps?

I really wonder where those native speakers, using GRE-words, live. You need to be studying English or Latin philology to be actively using all those words.QuoteOriginally posted by: MatthewMI would suggest you work on your English skills. 480/800? Holy crap, dude. Hang out with more native speakers. Read some books. The lack of communications is really going to hurt you in interviews.

Nobody said that he needs an 800V, but 480V is an indication of significant weakness. His post also reads like broken English.