how good are my prospects

[ahlvarun]

Hi

I am graduate in civil engineering from IIT, India. I am working as a software engineer in a wall street major in India. My undergrad CPI is 6.8/10.0 (i noe its not good aah!! but that why i m writing here). In math courses it is 7.3/10. Particularly I have all types of grades in Maths Btech courses ( As as well as Cs --once i flunged a math course !!). My work ex is around 2 years (so when i apply for MS it will be 3 years work ex). I have certifications like SCJP (Sun Microsystems), OCA (Oracle). I am writing CFA Level - I next year. Will these certifications help me?? Should I take Math Subject GRE ?
I will apply for fall of 2008. I can get decent GRE score (say 1400), that I am confident of. I am sure that I can get ok (not very starry) recos from my Btech profs.
What are my chances at some good school, particularly CMU?
I know its difficult to give any concrete plan with the kind of info i m giving but I would welcome any kind of help in regard to how I should go forward/ juice up my chances further.
P.S :- I am only concerned abt Masters courses. (Financial Engineering, Financial Mathematics etc)

[Andy]

What are my chances at some good school, particularly CMU?
Hi there,
What are those good schools you plan to apply to ? I don't know much about CMU so can't comment on it. Let's just say I know some friends who got accepted to CMU and good enough to get accepted to Baruch's MFE program as well :)

[dstefan]

What are my chances at some good school, particularly CMU?

This question should be asked on the CMU forum, located at...

[ahlvarun]

Ok . So what are my chances at baruch ? How can I make it still better? Since i have some time to improve given that I shall be applying for fall of 2008. I asked this question at other forums also and people had given me feedback to go for Math Subject GRE. What is your opinion on that?

Thanks

[Andy]

Ok . So what are my chances at baruch ? How can I make it still better? Since i have some time to improve given that I shall be applying for fall of 2008.
You have time on your side, so obviously, there are lot of things you can do to improve your chance. You will apply for Fall 2008 so whatever requirements we have now for applicants may be outdated in two years. In any case, a solid math background, strong programming skill (C++), basic knowledge of finance will do you good anywhere you plan to apply. Read my previous responses to some prospective students in this forum.

I asked this question at other forums also and people had given me feedback to go for Math Subject GRE. What is your opinion on that?
Thanks
It's relative. If you get a 800 GRE quant, it would be good enough for any MFE program as far as required quantitative qualification is concerned. If one can't get a 780-800 GRE quant, then forget about the GRE Math subject. Chances are s/he won't get a 800 in GRE Math subject.
Keep in mind that you apply for a Master program in Financial Engineering, not a PhD program in Math. You can spend more time working on your personal statements, get good recommendation letter, prepare for the GRE, get relevant experience (either working or internship).

Goodluck.