CMU SCS and Tepper chances

CMUTSBKid
Sat, 20 Aug 2011 03:28:02 +0000

I’m just a sophomore but here’s what I know about Comp Finance:
Anyone can MINOR in it regardless of department; the minor has no application but you have to meet some minimum grade requirements. But to have the MAJOR, you must go through the application process detailed through that site, which is done. spring of your sophomore year. The major is only available to Tepper and MCS undergrads.

Difficulty: Very difficult. It’s a combination of statistics, probability, calculus, and financial theory all rolled up into one.

Placement: Get this major and you get a job. Finish the minor and you have a job. It’s well respected not only on Wall Street but by elite trading shops too. Perfect placement for all majors. They don’t keep track of people who minor but they tend to do quite well, if not just as well as the people who get the major (yup, not getting the major is not the end of the world).

Enjoyment: You have to be a weird kid to love that stuff. From what I’ve heard, it’s not particularly enjoyable, but the rewards are certainly worth the suffering.

Professor quality: Not particularly special, but they get the job done.

As for interests in compsci, yes you can take classes from SCS even if you are MCS… If you get into and choose to attend as a compsci major, keep in mind that you cant apply to the computational finance major.