Help Me Choose Cornell A&S or UChicago for Quant Finance (Math + CS Major)

hebegebe
Thu, 15 Jan 2026 15:54:41 +0000

user2756:

I am highly interested in a career in Quant Finance, and would ideally like to work at a top firm out of undergrad (JS, Citadel, HRT, etc.).

I worked in quant finance prior to retirement and I have a child who recently joined a top NYC quant company.

Putting aside the difficulty of quant recruiting for now, between the two, UChicago is an easy choice. It is nationally recognized for both pure math and statistics. You probably already know that NYC and Chicago are the top two cities for trading, and UChicago certainly gives you a big advantage in recruiting for Chicago companies. A degree from UChicago will also give you serious consideration for NYC companies.

But as others have said, getting recruited for quant companies is already difficult now, and may get worse in 5 years. AI has made it easier for existing quant employees to be more productive, reducing the need for new hires. My child’s company has reduced hiring despite having one of their best years ever.

In summary, don’t go in with a “JS/Citadel/HRT or bust” attitude. Even if you have the innate talent to be hired if you were graduating now, the situation could be very different when you are looking for internships.