UVA versus NYU Stern for Undergrad Finance

I'm currently a high school senior. I got rejected from some of the ivies and I'm essentially down to UVA (in-state tuition of 25k) and NYU Stern (25k scholarship each year).

I want to work in finance, specifically in hedge funds and the Asset Management industry. I read somewhere that if I wanted to be a portfolio manager I needed to do a stint as an IB Analyst.

So my question is: which school is better for recruitment into the BB and IB-analyst roles and which schools will help me more career-wise? Do internship opportunities exist for UVA students who want to work while they study?

Thanks

 
Best Response

Both UVA and NYU place quite well for IB. They are both known for producing some solid IB analysts, so you shouldn't have trouble getting a job in IB after that.

For some reason, UVA seems to have a lot of alumni deep in the hedge fund world, i.e. a ridiculous percentage of the world's hedge funds with AUM greater than $1bn have been started by UVA guys. Also, I know that UVA people are scattered across the boards of the majority of the world's top hedge funds (DE Shaw, Bwater, Two Sigma, Citadel, Fortress, Tudor, etc. etc.). Not sure what it is about that school, but long term, it seems to produce some incredibly heavy hitters.

Very different culture and feel between the two places, so you may be better off deciding on that factor.

Feel free to PM me as I've had extensive experience with both alumni networks.

 

As a Sternie with friends at UVA I'd say go for UVA. In Stern, it is difficult to create a niche for yourself as everyone wants to break into finance. But in UVA, you can create a niche for yourself. In terms of academic quality, both are at par. However, Stern has one big advantage - the opportunity to work during the semester. If you network, you can get to work at awesome places, including hedge funds.

 

Is the opportunity to work at an internship during the semester at NYC the only leg up for NYU? If I go to UVA i will try to pursue a dual degree for both biomed and finance. does NYU offer the opportunity to obtain an engineering degree along with an undergrad concentration in finance?

 

why would you want to get a biomed degree if you want to work in HFs? That sounds do-able now, but I doubt you'll manage your time well enough

My drinkin' problem left today, she packed up all her bags and walked away.
 

UVA is a very fun school. Too preppy for my tastes, but a lot of fun nonetheless. The weather is better too. I would also recommend UVA. Keeping GPA constant, Mcintyre and Stern have largely similar recruiting.

However, from a pure finance recruiting standpoint, I would give Stern a slight edge. I am continuously impressed by their OCR.

That said, wherever you're happier (could be NYC for you, maybe, and not UVA), you'll have a higher GPA. And that's what matters most in this case.

Good luck and be sure to visit both campuses!!

 

Rofl I hope u can keep a 3.5+ while networking/socializing/ being a college kid with a biomed and finance dble major. It certainly will not be easy. I advise if u want finance you go all in on it, finance is not a field where those who kinda want it usually make it to high places. Finance is a field where people with a plan b outside of finance usually lose out on their plan a because it takes so much crap (clubs, volunteering, networking etc.) outside of the classroom to succeed and if you're focusing on plan b it will be hard to execute. Tread carefully

p.s. go to UVA, the weather is better, the state is better, the girls are hotter.

 
NYU:
"Your quality of life at UVA will be 100X what it would be at NYU with comparable recruiting. Decision is easy." This.

Plus: You will probably live in the city for years and years when you work in finance. Go live on a real campus and get real college experiences under cheaper living conditions.

+1 to both

Sometimes lies are more dependable than the truth.
 

Let me amend that some more, you aren't going to Yale/Princeton/Harvard or some other high quality liberal arts school where there is no undergrad b-school, at these state schools (especially Ross, Kelley, McIntire, McCombs, Haas) you are afforded a big advantage in recruiting being at the business school. Do not go to UVA and major in something that's not in the business school if you want to get into finance, that would be highly detrimental (unles it involves a McIntire/nonMcIntire dble major).

 

I plan on doing a double major in finance with either biomed or applied math at this point. the course load is going to be difficult but I have already learned some of the business courses taught at uva on my own--financial accounting at a community college, intermed microecon at gmu, self study in banking (mishkin book), macroecon (miskin), intro to investments (mayo).

I kinda want to diversify my academic education a bit and engineering might be a good fall back if i get washed out of finance or a recession comes along.

 

There is 0.0% chance you'll be able to dual major in engineering and finance at UVA. Math is a different story.

Engineering isn't a fall back. It's a different career. Decide what you like and do it. Don't straddle the fence.

 

UVA is alright. I agree with some of the comments above, however more people place from stern into s&t and banking than from UVA in absolute terms. There is a reason they are ranked number 2 in finance, whereas UVA is number 8.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/bu…

That being said, they are relatively equal in terms of education. And yes, you'd probably have a sicker time down at UVA. In my opinione, being able to work in NYC during he school semesters can be very invaluable. It's going to be very difficult to secure anyting in the city until you do recruiting.

 

False, UVA has very good placement into IB. Google McIntire employment reports, and you'll see where the grads go -- keep in mind that represents only 10% of each UVA class.

Stern also has very good placement, but honestly I'd pick UVA between the two. Especially if you're in-state.

 

is it do-able for me to study for the CFA exam while doing an undergrad finance at uva? since i got rejected from the ivies, getting the cfa or some other competitive finance certification will put me at a better position for a job later on, correct?

 
tianhou:
is it do-able for me to study for the CFA exam while doing an undergrad finance at uva? since i got rejected from the ivies, getting the cfa or some other competitive finance certification will put me at a better position for a job later on, correct?

Dude, you have no idea what you're talking about.

UVA Mcintyre and NYU Stern often out-place Ivies (I go to Columbia College and have applied for transfer to Stern undergrad, btw). Just keep your GPA high.

Also, anyone else notice the abundance of UVA Mcintyre alums at BX M&A? Almost equivalent to Princeton!

 
seedy underbelly:
tianhou:
is it do-able for me to study for the CFA exam while doing an undergrad finance at uva? since i got rejected from the ivies, getting the cfa or some other competitive finance certification will put me at a better position for a job later on, correct?

Dude, you have no idea what you're talking about.

UVA Mcintyre and NYU Stern often out-place Ivies (I go to Columbia College and have applied for transfer to Stern undergrad, btw). Just keep your GPA high.

Also, anyone else notice the abundance of UVA Mcintyre alums at BX M&A? Almost equivalent to Princeton!

u got into columbia, and now you want to transfer into stern? doesn columbia have a better placement into IB and BB due to its ivy league status? isnt taking financial econ or financial engineering equivalent to taking finance major at stern?

hypothetically say i decide to go to stern. will i have that much time to take a job during the school term? i heard the atmosphere is really competitive and cut throat, so my GPA might suffer if i decide to go with taking a part time job

 

Jesus.

Look kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. Pump the brakes with the questions.

Going to McIntire is going to get you a very similar shot at IB and BB compared to Stern. Trust me. I can say this from my experience with my peers, fourth years above me, and alumni.

You are in-state. Save the money and go to UVA. Personally, Stern isn't a place where I'd like to be. Too cutthroat.

The CFA has nothing to do with banking. Columbia doesn't have better placement than Stern because Stern teaches finance - Columbia teaches liberal arts. Employers are looking for people that know what they are doing already.

 

These schools couldn't be more different. I'm sure you realize that.

UVA is the stereotypical collegiate experience with preppy, fratty types and watching football games. Pretty much everything happens on campus, or very close to campus.

NYU is the definitive urban experience with much more artistic and international feel. The campus blends into the city and students are pulled in multiple directions all across the city.

If you honestly want to do banking, I'd go to Stern given the scholarship. Keep in mind the cost of living in NYC is sooooooo much higher than at UVA. UVA is ranked higher I believe, but for banking Stern is probably better I'd imagine.

 

I know you're looking at this from a job opportunities perspective but you really should zoom out and take other variables into account. UVA and NYU have distinctly different cultures simply due to their geographic locations and student body demographics. Just something to keep in mind if you haven't already factored it into your decision making process.

However, to answer your question I would probably go with NYU CAS. Although it's not like Stern you can take a certain amount of Stern classes which can give you an edge. Similarly you'll have access to the careernet which is quite robust with plenty of new opportunities added everyday. If you can maintain a relatively high GPA as an economics major and grab an internship during the school year you will have a very competitive profile for the SA recruiting season. I know plenty of people in CAS, not even Economic majors, that were able to land various front office positions at large banks like Barclays and JP Morgan this summer.

Disclaimer: I go to NYU. If someone from UVA could provide an argument for their business program I think the OP will have a better understanding of the pros and cons of both schools.

EDIT: Looks like everyone is favoring UVA, since you got into the business school there that makes sense. However do keep in mind the points I made earlier. College is also about personal development, not just career potential.

 

UVA time and time over.

Very different culturally, don't think they really even compare. I can't even see similiarities. Fight on at UVA good Sir. Better place, better girls, better life, and great recruiting with the right GPA

Flying Higher and Higher
 
JCKeenz:
NYU outside of Stern sucks. Plus it's expensive as shit.

NYU outside of Stern might not be the strongest academically, but recruiting opportunities are equal to stern. CAS students have full access to OCR which is better than UVA OCR. Both schools have all the top banks coming in to recruit, but only NYU will have the small regional boutiques(which in NYC there are tons).

That being said, if you already have top academic stats, previous relevant banking experience and you KNOW you can get a good GPA at a competitive as hell college then choose UVA.

disclaimer: I also came from a non target from the west coast and transferred to NYU. PM me if you have any questions, i had trouble deciding what school to go to as well, but i know i chose the right one

 

Thanks for the responses. I'm still wondering about a few things, though.

Is the advantage of having internships in NY during the year greater than the disadvantage I'd have coming from CAS instead of Stern? I've also heard that it's really hard for CAS students to be "in the loop" in terms of Stern recruiting, events, clubs, etc., especially since I've heard Sternies try to exclude everyone else. Is this true?

Does anyone have any input on either of those questions?

 

I'm a Sternie, and I know how difficult it has been for my friends in CAS in terms of recruiting. While I got many OCR interviews for FO roles, they had to contend with MO and BO positions. Unless you have amazing work experience to show along with other credentials, it will be difficult to compete with Stern students. Being a Sternie, I myself faced lot of difficulty because many Stern students had awesome credentials. So transfer to UVA and get into the business school. You will easily stand out from the crowd, and get a BB.

 

its CAS not Stern so it wont be as competitive GPA wise. getting A's at NYU CAS will be twice as easy as getting A's in McIntire and as we all know GPA is king. join some stern clubs in CAS and it will be so much easier winding up in banking.

 
BankorBust:
its CAS not Stern so it wont be as competitive GPA wise. getting A's at NYU CAS will be twice as easy as getting A's in McIntire and as we all know GPA is king. join some stern clubs in CAS and it will be so much easier winding up in banking.

This is just about the worst advice any one has ever given to anyone else in all of human history.

 

@BankorBust

My current school is in no way reflective of my academic abilities. My ability to earn A's at any school has nothing to do with chance and everything to do with my own personal intelligence and determination.

 

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