Continued:
5) Active Alumni Network
One of the things that REALLY set apart Baruch from most programs is the strong alumni network of the MFE program. One of the reasons for such high placement rate is its alumni network of the graduates holding high positions. This friendly family attitude of alumni with students is something that can only be seen at very few Ivy League schools. Baruch MFE program alumni and regular students have several social networking events throughout the year where alumni and students get to meet and discuss career plans. In addition, there is a one-on-one alumnus mentoring program which I have not seen offered anywhere. If I am interested in some field, and an alumni works in that area, he/she can offer me one on one personal mentoring so that I can work on my interview skills and job application to target positions within that sector of the industry. No career center can provide this invaluable assistance, to the best of my knowledge. The alumni also frequently email the program director of positions within their firm, which the director forwards to the students. This helps getting past a few barriers in the recruitment process and increases the chance of attaining an interview/job within the firm.
Alumni know what it takes to get into the Baruch program in first place and help create this brotherly/family atmosphere very rare to find. It is almost like being part of a fraternity.
6) Selectivity
Baruch is one of the most selective programs with very low admission rate. This year was 7% making it one of the most selective cohorts ever in the program. The selectivity makes one so proud to be a part of this program. This was one of the most attractive things to me. To be considered to be part of this amazing group is truly flattering. I have been talking to some of my co-students and it is great to see the diversity. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and we all complement each other in some way. There are people with work experience of NASA, PhD’s, people who work/worked for the big Investment Banks, people who worked for other large financial and non-financial firms, and even someone who worked for Ren Tech. The few people I have spoken too are amazing, and I cannot wait to make new friends while at Baruch. I will be rooming with another incoming Baruch student (William) and that is also going to be awesome!
7) Location:
This is quite an important factor in choosing a program. Chicago is the second largest financial hub of North America. The only way, is upward, and New York being the Financial Capital of the world, it is the epitome of financial engineering.  All the top programs in the world with satellite campuses pick New York to have their alternate campus. They don’t pick Toronto, Boston, San Francisco, or Chicago, but pick New York. I do not have to justify this point. We all want to end up in New York at some point, so going to a school in New York is the best decision.
6) Internship:
Being able to do an internship is one of the most important criteria for me. I have no previous financial experience so I need to be able to gain some in the form of a Summer internship. An advice for students reading this…If an internship is not offered and you don’t have any experience, re-think your decision about the school. Also, see if you can switch your schedule around to do an internship anyways and graduate a semester or so later. Many programs do not offer internships or placement services for internships. Baruch has a 100% placement rate basically for internships. Also, the great thing is that if there is a class offered in the summer that one can take in the evening while working so as to reduce the workload in the upcoming semester. This year (upcoming summer) almost all the students have got internships, with a few still being interviewed. The students have achieved internships at a range of companies like Barclays, JPMorgan, Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley, Numerix, Quantitative Brokers, R&R Consulting, Susquehanna, etc.
7) Cost
In my previous post, as many of you remember, I did not give cost a big consideration. When you compare majority of the programs, top or not top, they are all around the 55-60K ball-park except some are 70K upwards. However, when you are given the choice of 20K tuition for the entire program, it was just unbelievable. It is the MOST AFFORDABLE program out there in this field. The RATE OF RETURN on an investment of 20K for education and say another 25K for living expenses through the program, is the highest out of ANY program.
Conclusion:
As you can see, my decision to switch was serious and highly considered rather than a spontaneous impulse. Yes, I did switch 3 days before moving to Chicago but for very good reasons. I sacrificed and will be sacrificing quite a bit by not going to Chicago. I gave up an internship offer (though obtained by own efforts); I gave up the $1500 deposit on my apartment; my deposit at the university, and the possibility to make several good friends in Chicago. What I got in return, is the chance to make several new friends in New York, attain more/better internship opportunities, and start a new life in New York, the largest financial center in the world. I believe my life definitely has moved for the better. The opportunities that I would have as a Baruch graduate are truly enormous. The familial atmosphere that Dr. Dan Stefanica has created in the Baruch MFE program is incomparable to any. It is basically as I said before like being part of a sought after fraternity/family.
The decision to go to Baruch has already opened up lots of opportunities for me. I am already in talks with Dr. Liew of JKL Capital Management on a big potential project on Statistical Arbitrage. He will also be teaching the Time Series Analysis-Algorithmic Trading course this Spring at Baruch. I have also made some good friends who are part of the incoming Baruch MFE class(William, Amanda, David).I have been assigned an alumni-mentor/adviser who has been very helpful with any question I have had and has advised me on several topics already.
All things taken, I did not pick Baruch only because the program excels in all the factors mentioned above. I picked Baruch because it also fits me best. Only time will tell what the future holds for me…but I am very excited to find out.
As many of you know the Baruch program has a set of refresher seminars to prepare for the rigorous curriculum. I have switched my preparation 10 folds also, and am basically on an accelerated preparation schedule for the refresher seminars and fall semester. The new schedule has been VERY beneficial to me. I will be making a “How I am Preparing for Financial Engineering Programs Part 2” soon. It will include more advanced and specific topics that I will be preparing.  I move to New York June 11th, so I will post a few pictures/videos possibly on my first week in New York with footage of the university, the other students, and maybe some interviews with the faculty and alumni that I run into.
You can find out more about the Baruch MFE program at their new website: mfe.baruch.cuny.edu/
Until next time…

see http://www.quantnet.com/reasons-i-chose-baruch-mfe