PS Please follow these guidelines rather than the general instructions in the online application.) Explain your view of the finance industry, why you are attracted to it, and what aspects of it you are most interested in. Explain why you have chosen quantitative finance in general and our program in particular. Describe your career plans and goals as clearly as you have them. This can range from: ``a career somewhere in the finance industry'' to: ``running a desk trading exotic emerging market credit derivatives at BNP in London leveraging my language skills and knowledge of Latin American markets''. Describe your background and how it relates to your career plans. What motivated you to choose quantitative finance and why do you feel it is a good choice for you? Describe what you have done to learn about the finance industry and prepare yourself for our program. If quantitative finance represents a change in your career path, explain your decision to switch. Feel free to give other information that will help us understand your application better. The statement of purpose should be no more than two pages double spaced or one page single spaced. Please be concise. CV CV is required RL The most important consideration in admissions decisions is your talent for and preparation in mathematics. This could come from mathematics classes or highly mathematical classes in the sciences or engineering. The most helpful letters are from people who have seen your performance in the most challenging situations and can compare it to others. This generally means instructors in advanced classes that are heavily quantitative or mathematical. If you have significant work experience, we appreciate a letter from a manager who can describe your technical accomplishments. You may submit more than three letters, but please do not do so unless the extra letter adds significant new information. Please avoid the following mistakes: The recommendation letter is not a character reference. Avoid writers who do not have first-hand knowledge of your technical abilities. This includes deans or officials who have not had you in class, instructors in low level or nontechnical classes such as calculus, literature, accounting, etc., friends, relatives, and colleagues. If someone asks you to write the letter yourself, refuse. The recommender may ask you for a resume or a transcript or even some things about yourself you would like to be in the letter. Feel free to provide such information, but under no circumstances should you suggest the actual wording of the letter. We disregard any letter that we feel was written by the applicant. A professional understands better than a student what information a recommendation letter should convey. Transcript One official academic transcript from each institution attended (uploaded as part of the online application)