Thanks a lot for your suggestions Mr. Pire. I fully agree with your assessment of how a background in mathematics is extremely helpful for higher level studies in finance. In hindsight, I do feel that I should have pursued at least a Maths minor; instead I chose to do a double major in Finance and Accounting and a minor in economics. Having said that, I feel that I do have a decent quantitative background through classes such as calculus, linear regression, econometrics, mathematical economics, analysis of variance with experimental design and investment analysis.

I concur with your assessment of how it can be difficult to get funding even after getting into a top MS in Finance program. That's something I have come to realize through whatever little research I have done so far. I'm also serious about following your suggestion to apply to 20+ colleges and try and get into the best program that I possibly can based on my test scores (once I take the test), undergraduate performance and recommendations.