Frequently Asked Questions
We strictly follow the KDCA guideline. Meetings can be online, and schedules are subject to change during COVID
Admission Questions
Q 1. What are the pre-requisites?
A 1. All applicants to our group should have a deep interest in financial engineering and must participate in required meetings for at least one year except for studying abroad or military service.
Q 2. Will there be a face-to-face interview during the recruitment process?
A 2. No. There will be no face-to-face interviews. All the processes will be done virtually (Zoom).
Q 3. May I fill out the application form in Korean?
A 3. Yes. You may fill out the form in either English or Korean.
Q 4. I do not have any programming experience. Will I still have a chance to join the group?
A 4. Yes. but I strongly recommend you to take the "Introduction to Python Programming" course at Udacity before you apply.
Q 5. Can a postgraduate student apply?
A 5. Yes. We welcome undergraduate students, graduate students, and practitioners.
Q 6. How much math and statistics will I need?
A 6. Basic understanding of calculus and calculus-based probability courses are recommended but not required.
Q 7. Do I need to schedule an interview?
Q 7. No. You may be contacted by email to arrange an interview via Zoom the day after the application deadline.
Q 8. When will I receive my admission decision?
A 8. All decisions will be released within five days after the interview.
Academic Questions
Q 1. Will I have to speak in English during the meeting?
A 1. No. All the discussions will be done in Korean, however, all the educational materials are in English.
Q 2. Should I have to take all specialization courses in one year? When are the meetings hold?
A 2. No. Members should take only one specialization course. The specialization course that members must take is different depends on the assigned team. It is uncertain which team the applicant will be assigned to, so make sure to have Saturday and Sunday 8:00 pm ~ 11:00 pm empty before you apply.
Q 3. Will all the meetings be a face-to-face meeting?
A 3. No. Most of the mandatory meetings will be virtual (Zoom) except for the first month, but we strongly encourage engaging with members in person through various activities.
Q 4. I'm interested in data science but not in financial engineering. May I only take data science courses?
A 4. FBA Quant curriculum is designed for quantitative finance careers, and financial engineering is the essence of quant. We mainly recruit people pursuing quant careers, however, we selectively recruit people having expertise in one of the fields in optimal control, reinforcement learning, bandit algorithms, and natural language processing regardless of interest in financial engineering. If you meet these standards, please let us know when you apply.