{"id":8826,"date":"2024-03-19T09:57:16","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/?page_id=8826"},"modified":"2026-06-23T14:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T18:35:40","slug":"incoming-student-summer-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/incoming-student-summer-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Incoming Student Summer Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the MAFN program, we believe that the groundwork for success starts during the summer before students begin their studies, which is a great time to boost their programming skills and get a head start on the internship search. This is why starting June, we are offering virtual workshops, opportunities to meet alumni, and career appointments exclusively for students admitted for the Fall semester.<\/span><\/div>\n

View Full Summer Program 2026 Calendar<\/a> <\/font><\/b>with registration links<\/span><\/p>\n

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Career Development Workshop Series<\/strong><\/p>\n

We will be holding five different kinds of career development workshops throughout the summer for admitted MAFN students.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Career Development Overview for MAFN Students<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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In this workshop, you will get an overview of what career development looks like as an MAFN student. We will go over the recruiting timeline, what materials you need, what resources you have access to, job strategies<\/span><\/p>\n

Attend one of the following dates:<\/p>\n

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Resumes & Cover Letters<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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This workshop will go over how to write impactful resumes and cover letters. We will explore the essential elements that contribute to the success of these documents, offering practical guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attend one of the following dates:<\/p>\n

Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 2, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>LinkedIn Profile & Job Search<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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LinkedIn is the largest professional social media platform where you can build your brand, expand your network, find jobs, and research companies. Recruiters will most likely look you up on LinkedIn after you apply to an open position. At this workshop, you will learn how to use LinkedIn as a tool to attract recruiters and network with other industry professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Monday, June 22, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n

Monday, July 20, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Behavioral Interviews<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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This workshop will explore different elements of the interview process. In this session, we will discuss various types of interviews and questions, and share best practices to help you effectively prepare for each. You will also learn post-interview strategies to increase your chances of securing the job.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Networking & Mentorship<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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During this workshop we will talk about the importance of networking and mentorship, providing practical guidance on how to connect with the right individuals and effectively engage them. We will explore the purpose behind networking, share strategies for identifying the appropriate contacts, and discuss techniques to elicit responses to your messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10 am EST<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Technical Interview Prep Boot Camp<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Technical Interview Prep Boot Camp, now delivered as the LAIQMS Bootcamp, is the Columbia MAFN program’s technical interview-preparation course, rebuilt for the modern quant desk. <\/span>It is no longer only a sequence of lectures. It is a full operating system that takes a student from <\/span>enrollment to offer: curriculum, practice, scoring, review, positions, networking, guest-speaker <\/span>exposure, and measurable interview readiness in one protected portal.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Overview<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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The mission is direct: to be the most complete, efficient, and execution-based bootcamp that takes a student all the way to a job offer while easing the transition into the master’s program. Where traditional preparation stops at degree-level mathematics, LAIQMS trains the full stack desks now interview on: quant foundations, machine learning, AI, LLM mathematics, data structures, system design, communication, and role-specific execution. The program is deliberately not a math class, not a programming class, and not a memorization class; it trains students to solve, explain, defend, and adapt under interview pressure.<\/p>\n

The name spells out the five pillars every modern quant candidate is expected to command:<\/p>\n

L \u2014 LLM Math: transformer and language-model mathematics, attention, softmax, cross-entropy, backpropagation, perplexity, and inference constraints.<\/p>\n

A \u2014 AI: applied AI and neural-network foundations, embeddings, activation functions, and modern AI workflow fluency.<\/p>\n

Q \u2014 Quant: the proven core \u2014 calculus, linear algebra, probability, stochastic processes, derivatives pricing, Black-Scholes, Monte Carlo, numerical methods, and brainteasers.<\/p>\n

M \u2014 Machine Learning: regression, classification, regularization, trees and ensembles, model validation, metrics, and interview-ready ML intuition.<\/p>\n

S \u2014 System Design & Data Structures: data structures, algorithms, cloud\/system design, MLOps, scalability, storage, caching, and production tradeoffs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Event Details<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Dates: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 – Friday, August 14, 2026 (<\/span>Synchronous Online)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sessions: <\/span>Tuesdays, 10:15\u201311:45 AM EST \u2014 Theory & Foundation Lecture; Fridays, 10:15\u201311:45 <\/span>AM EST \u2014 Practical Interview Questions<\/span><\/p>\n

Format: The proven six-week quant core runs across July and August; the full LAIQMS track extends it to twelve weeks. Each week pairs a Foundations session with an Interview Prep session, virtual <\/span>evenings, recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Price: $750<\/span><\/p>\n

Instructor: Arez Marduci, founder of Marduci Capital Management, LP
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To learn more about the boot camp, Arez will be holding a virtual Info Session on Friday, June 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>About Arez Marduci<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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The bootcamp is taught by Arez Marduci \u2014 founder and educator \u2014 who has built his career at the intersection of finance and technology. He leads Marduci Capital Management, LP, an investment <\/span>firm leveraging cutting-edge AI to optimize investment strategies. A Columbia University alumnus \u2014 <\/span>School of General Studies, Class of 2011, and Columbia Engineering, Class of 2013 \u2014 he holds <\/span>degrees in economics and financial engineering, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and <\/span>Mathematics, summa cum laude, before completing a Master of Science in Financial Engineering and <\/span>Operations Research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arez is the lead instructor for the MAFN bootcamp in Columbia’s Department of Mathematics \u2014 a program he helped start from the ground up \u2014 and has spent years guiding new students through <\/span>practical mathematical-finance training as they prepare for careers in quantitative finance and on Wall <\/span>Street. He has never broken ties with Columbia, staying engaged through teaching and through <\/span>interviewing prospective students for the admissions team. The LAIQMS Bootcamp grew directly out <\/span>of that work, building the program from a sequence of lectures into a complete, execution-based <\/span>job-readiness system. He remains committed to teaching and to giving back to the Columbia <\/span>community, helping shape the next generation of industry leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>


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Virtual MAFN Alumni Panels<\/b><\/p>\n

You will get multiple opportunities to engage with the MAFN alumni who will share their stories, tips on preparing for the program, internship search, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 7:00 PM EST<\/b><\/p>\n

Meet an Alum: Zinuo Yin<\/p>\n

Thursday, June 18, 2026 11:00 AM EST<\/b><\/p>\n

PhD Alumni Panel: Shuqi Yang, Tiannan Deng, and Chen Ai<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday, June 25, 2026 10:00 AM EST<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Meet an Alum: Qingcheng (Johnson) Wei<\/p>\n

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM EST<\/b><\/p>\n

Meet an Alum: Shubham Mangalvedhe<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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MAFN New Student Orientation<\/strong><\/p>\n

We will have a virtual orientation about class registration and what to expect in the program, as well as an in-person faculty meet & greet.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>MAFN Virtual Orientation<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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During these sessions, you will learn more about the program, meet MAFN staff and faculty, and have the opportunity to ask questions. There will also be a short presentation by ISSO at the beginning to help international students to best prepare for their arrival in the US.<\/p>\n

Attend one<\/span> of the following dates:<\/p>\n

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 10 am EST <\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 10 am EST<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>In-Person Faculty Meet and Greet<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Thursday, <\/span>August 27, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Columbia University<\/p>\n

All incoming students are invited to an in-person New Student Orientation featuring a meet and greet with MAFN faculty at the Morningside Campus. The session will include short presentations by faculty introducing their courses, as well as an opportunity to connect with MAFN staff and ask questions about the program. Food and refreshments will be provided, and you\u2019ll have time to begin building your academic community ahead of the semester.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8826","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8826"}],"version-history":[{"count":155,"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10251,"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8826\/revisions\/10251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.math.columbia.edu\/mafn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}