HYPSM Student or NESCAC Athlete for IB recruiting

bump

I mean if you get into MIT and can be a student athlete, you should definitely do that. MIT student athlete is way more impressive and will set you apart in recruiting much more than being a regular student at, for example, Michigan (which is also a fantastic school but has many people vying for IB). Although, it’s very unlikely that you’ll get into MIT, so I wouldn’t worry about that unless you actually do.

Truthfully, the NESCAC athlete may have an easier time getting that first IB job, even over an ivy student. However, you are passing up 40 years of superior network over your career if you choose NESCAC over HYPSM. Just keep that in mind when making your decision. That said, it is totally valid to choose a NESCAC if you want to be an athlete in college. Everyone has different goals and preferences. However, I would not choose a NESCAC solely for recruiting purposes.

I think you should look at the target school rankings (very easy to find on this forum and there is general consensus of the top schools even if some debate over ranking) and compare to your options for athletic recruiting. If you can come in as an athlete at any great school you have a much better shot than applying through normal avenues. In terms of expected value it’s clear. Value of Penn x 0.07 versus Value of MIT x 0.90+ if you can get recruited there. A really fucking nice bird in the hand versus a snipe hunt.

Was in a similar situation, have friends who went down both paths, and am now finishing my second year at a top bank/group. 

Obviously the ideal position for recruiting is being a top kid at Harvard or Wharton. Assuming this isn't you (it isn't most people), here is my opinion:

It is easier to break in as a top finance candidate at a NESCAC (~top 5-10 in your class depending on which one) than as an average / below average kid at most of the ivies just given the lack of competition (as you alluded to). It'll also just feel less competitive as you go through the process and school will probably be more chill. 

Excluding maybe 2-3 of the NESCACs, most have a strong presence across top firms and the networks are generally pretty tight. Some alum will also be willing to help kids from other NESCACs. However, the number of alum at each bank will usually be small, and so it's pretty crucial be a top kid (especially if you aren't diverse) since those people are only going to push for a few kids each year. Williams may be the exception as there are more alum in the industry, more kids trying to do banking, and there is a more developed recruiting infrastructure than the rest of the schools, so it's just a different dynamic. 

Another thing to consider is that generally, there will be less structure at the NESCACs and so success is pretty dependent on being self-motivated (you should be fine if you're asking about this stuff as a high school kid). Having the surrounding club scene / increased finance interest at most Ivies would likely make that a better path if you need the structure. 

The above poster may be right that most people don't give a shit about athletics, but it definitely is a factor coming out of the NESCAC since you'll notice when networking that many of the alum in the industry were athletes. Also, a large part of the value in being an athlete is the benefit of having upperclassmen / analysts from your team to guide you.

That said, there is a big difference between lacrosse/hockey and track/swimming (would put most other sports in between). Preppier sports at NESCACs are filled with top prep school and wealthy West Chester / Fairfield county / NJ kids who, on average, are more likely to have recruiting advantages aside from just going to a good school and playing a sport (generational wealth, friends and family in the industry, etc.). As you'd expect, these sports will have more alum in banking which is a huge benefit in recruiting. 

MIT/CMU is just a totally different experience. But a few positives with MIT is that it's EA (you could theoretically get the coach to help you and also toss in an ED at an Ivy) and there are a few MIT kids who will get into Global Platinum Securities (which basically puts MF PE and HFs on table for recruiting), but I wouldn't bank on that. 

Honestly though, if you're already on top of this stuff in high school, you'll probably be fine either way. 

Responding because I am currently a sophomore at CMU playing a LMM sport (think Golf, Men's Volleyball, Bass Fishing). Some would argue this school is a semi-target but they're just coping. Decided I wanted to do IB during my freshman fall and have since slowly realized how little support the school offers for people pursuing careers in finance. I encourage you to ask any CMU alumni currently in banking and they will only have bad things to say about the CMU business program as a path into finance. Great school if you aren't exactly set on IB (top CS, Engineering, Arts) but it sounds like you've figured that out. Pretty sad considering the school is named after one of the most badass hedge fund managers of all time- D Tep!!!!!

You are smart for considering this in your high school years. Life sounds easier going to a target or at least a school that puts some value on IB. Obviously I can only see one side but from the list you've given, you have better options from solely an IB perspective.

Buy Side however, CMU is on the rise. Since Jane Street, HRT, and Optiver do on campus recruiting for quant, top PE and HF (Ares, Audax, Citadel, P72) are recognizing the quantitative focus of the business program and starting to give internships here. But you have to know your stuff and be a finance gremlin out the womb for those. 

Final Rec: Ivies are respected for a reason. If you get in it would feel very weird to deny for CMU or Amherst given your career goals... like very weird. From an expected value perspective, your career placements will be on average higher going to an Ivy vs NESCACS so any rational investor would choose Ivy. 

I would recommend finding each schools student run investment fund website and seeing where current students have interned. The top kids at each school are likely in the club so it could make things a lot clearer given some real examples of placements. Feels really bad to sway you away from this school but it's what I wished I would have known. Also seek other opinions don't rule any school out based on one comment.