USC Marshall vs. NYU Stern

I posted here a while back when I was deciding between USC and VSB and found the advice extremely helpful. I ended up committing to USC, but today I was accepted into Stern. I'm honestly going back and forth on where to commit and would love some help.

USC would be free to attend annually and NYU would cost around $7k a year to attend. I'd like to go into management consulting or IB, but I'm still undecided between the two. I've seen NYU's "campus" and loved it, I just don't know how the lack of a typical college life will compare to what USC's college lifestyle offers. Also, I'm a spring admit at USC, so I can't start until Jan. 2021.

I have until Friday to decide and any input would go a long way. Thanks.

 

I don't disagree, but at least be honest with the kid and tell him you went to Stern so you're definitely biased.

 

I’ll make the argument for USC, it’s where I’d go in this situation. Unless you are dead set on NYC, which you can still get to with USC with some networking and effort, USC will serve you better on the west coast. (Ex: there are 3 USC kids in my intern class and none from NYU in my SF IB spring internship) NYU is very IB focused, it’s stressful and not a traditional or fun college experience unless you have money to go clubbing every weekend. NYU will set you up better for a first job in all likelihood, but if you were going to get there from NYU u can get there from USC with some effort. Also NYU places very poorly into grad school while USC is top 20 for HBS, Wharton and GSB.

Both are strong semi-targets when accounting for the entire USA. Good luck

 
Summer Associate in IB - CB:
Also NYU places very poorly into grad school while USC is top 20 for HBS, Wharton and GSB.

NYU is top 10 for GSB and top 15 for HBS. And Stern -> LA/SF is easier than Marshall -> NYC.

 

I made this same decision a year ago, except cost wasn’t a concern. I chose USC for the more traditional and enjoyable college experience. I’ve really enjoyed my time at USC as have all of my friends, 1 of my friends from Stern transferred to WashU because of the social sense/snake-culture. That being said if your dead set on NYC IB and that’s all you want from college NYU Stern would be a no brainer.

 

I would probably choose Stern. The 7k per year difference can definitely be made back easily with the better job opportunities at Stern and you're a spring admit for USC which is not ideal socially anyways. Moreover, all the people saying that USC will be a better college experience overrate the experience at USC and underrate the one at Stern. Sure, there might be sports at USC, but at NYU there's NYC. Don't let other's peoples' perception of an ideal college experience affect what you want to get out of school. In the long run, Stern is 100% better in terms of career trajectory and WAYYY more prestigious and you're getting it at 7k a year which is a steal compared to the kids that pay 80k a year. USC is normally considered a semi-target on the West Coast which isn't great as the West Coast banking industry is much smaller and has way less opportunities than east coast banking. Keep in mind the USC Marshall has almost 1,500 more students than Stern does which means that you're competing against more kids for less spots which in my opinion would make it more stressful than life at Stern. At the end of the day these schools are in completely different tiers for your goals so overall, I would say that Stern is the better option.

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/comprehensive-undergraduate-targ…

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/west-coast-semi-targets

 

Spring admit won’t matter if no one is on campus in the fall :)

 

OP, do not listen to the above comments. Absolutely go to Stern. It is in a different tier than Marshall, and for 7k/year, it seems like almost too good of a deal. Your future self will regret it immensely if you go to USC and dont land an ib gig. And lol at "NYU placing very poorly into grad school."

If you want finance on the west coast, Stern will get you it (especially if you have a compelling reason for going West). But lets be honest, why would you want to leave the financial capital of the world to go to the West Coast, unless there are extenuating circumstances. That's why no NYU kid was in Summer Associates SF internship class.

 

Stern is great for banking placement but as a place to spend 4 years of your life, it fucking blows. Just by reading this forum it seems that the culture really is snakelike/uber-competitive. I definitely don't want to be stressed out of my mind with no personal space in the middle of busy NYC.

 

USC Trojan here so welcome! Don’t know if you changed your decision but I think usc is absolutely what you make of it (kinda cliche I know) and it is possible to do IB NY buttt Stern for sure would facilitate that process. So IMO at USC you get beautiful campus with a great student life but you gotta work really hard to get the job you want or NYU where the job might come a little easier.

 

I go to USC and every bank you can think of recruits here. Almost every single NY bank has an alumni that will get you an interview. The only banks that don't have alumni are grreenhill, and harris williams.

 

Molestias eius aut id exercitationem reprehenderit omnis repudiandae. Repellendus voluptate esse neque assumenda voluptate dolorum qui sunt. Distinctio est aut perferendis nesciunt consequatur.

Dolores consequatur quo rerum qui. Dolor sed incidunt molestiae doloribus. Eligendi iste eius aut porro rerum dolores. Repellat ut expedita enim reiciendis quam.

 

Eius nisi et quam accusantium odio. Aliquid occaecati odit dolor qui. Exercitationem eius neque exercitationem incidunt neque reprehenderit voluptates quam. Sit pariatur sit ut ut minima id. Est iste et laboriosam repellat laboriosam aliquid sunt.

Nulla repellat eligendi eveniet sed ad et. Necessitatibus culpa explicabo nam a ex omnis facere quaerat. Libero sunt consequatur enim amet ipsam beatae necessitatibus. Qui qui cupiditate earum reprehenderit. Sequi et blanditiis est exercitationem distinctio molestiae sunt. Et veritatis eveniet voluptas aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”