Posted: Aug 10, 2011 7:41 am
Darwinsbulldog wrote:Sonoran Lion wrote-Thank you, I know very little of what experience to expect as a graduate student. Would you recommend talking to graduate students in a program before entering that program to get an idea of what the culture is like and who would make a decent supervisor?
Yup, talk your box off. It is not wasted time. It is better to spend a few months in coffee shops and pubs, and getting into the grad students confidence so that they tell you things. With very few exceptions, a PhD will take at least three years, probably four. That is if you have honours already. If not, then you do a Masters and then convert. So it is worth spending a considerable amount of time writing to potential supervisors and schools, and trawling around getting the gossip.
I am not sure if this is universal, but at my uni the school gets PhD funding for 4 years, not 3. They will try and get to to finish in 3. This helps them balance the books because they lose money from drop-outs.
Schools are also getting obsessed with rubrics [performance criteria] for grad degrees. You have to do a progress report every six months. Lots of hoops like that, or at least more than the old days. It might differ depending on what country or uni you go to.
Thank you, I will make sure to ask grad students about things such as progress reports at their respective programs. I think many schools give out email addresses for their grad students. I'm sure there will be some that don't mind talking to a prospective student.
VictorTheSixth wrote:If I may weigh in, get the degree in physics. Many of the Quantitative Analysts I've met have been physics majors. These are the people who craft the trading algorithms that earn companies millions of dollars. A Quant's paycheck is upwards in the six-figure range when end of the year bonus is counted. That is if you don't want to go into the sciences themselves.
I'm a bit prejudice just to warn you seeing as how I tend to have a dismal view of the Economic Theory and Degree holders overall.
Quite frankly too, if you want a job in the Financial Industry, you need to have a degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or something along those lines. I'm in the Financial Field myself, I should know. Economics, Business, and other such degrees are holding less and less weight. I knew someone with their Masters in Economics who regularly attended conference about The Market and made friends with people in various Hedge Funds, Investment Banks, and Firms. In three years she had not had a single job offer and struggled to get an interview. I hold a BS in Computer Science with a concentration in Financial Modeling (creating large elaborate frameworks through which you can trade stocks, bonds, futures, etc.). In the four months after graduating I had 7 interviews, 3 of them with big name firms. Need I say more?
Thank you for your insight into the financial field. I suppose if I decide to go to graduate school to study physics that I could also minor in economics (I've noticed some programs give you the option to minor in them at the graduate level). What strengths were the interviewers looking for that interviewed you?