Stern vs Vanderbilt vs Rice vs UVA

UVA is your best bet from what ive heard/read.. plus lifestyle at UVA is sick (ive visited bunch of friends there)

how much money did you get?

From what I have heard/know:

Rice = Heard it is great for BB Houston Firms, but not as strongly represented on Wall Street. Stern = Extremely cut throat environment and basically have to be top of class with multiple internships and ECs to get invited to OCR sessions. Basically betting on yourself to be top 10% in class for all of those categories. UVA = Amazing school with great learning environment just don't know very much about recruitment there (not to say there is anything wrong with it, just don't have personal experience) Vanderbilt = Don't know too much about besides it being a solid school.

Personally, I'd take rice and not look back. Definitely the top school all around out of those 4. Even if it's not as well represented on wall street, it is still very respectable. + it is a great environment.

I hear UVA is great and is well-represented on the Street.

I would choose NYU and bust my ass at the OCR events. But I love the city so my view is biased

I have more or less a full ride at Rice and Vandy, but I'm just not sure how I would fair come time to look for internships and jobs. I really want to work in NYC. I got a very morose vibe at Stern when I visited, but my experience at Rice was great. Any Sternies here that can comment on how they're liking NYU?

I've been considering UVA more and more lately because of what I've heard about the quality of life (+ I'm getting decent money). I've read that students from McIntire get recruited a lot, but I'm not sure whether it's for front office positions in NYC or other jobs at regional banks.

Stern for sure.

From a recruiting perspective, Stern beats out the other schools by a pretty fair margin (given location). Important to keep in mind that if you go to Stern you wont be in a typical college environment, so that's something to keep in mind. IMO, living in NYC beats the shit outta living in Nashville, Charlottesville, and Houston.

I think UVA does get recruited quite a bit for FO jobs. Their undergraduate business school is rated one of the best in the country and their MBA is ranked pretty high as well.

UVA's alum seems to be at most of the BBs and MMs across the board (based on my Linkedin findings since i'm connected to a UVA alum to works in CapMarkets)

ProspectiveMonkey, the things you've heard about Stern aren't really accurate. Refer to the other thread (i think it was NYU vs Northwestern) where a guy with a 3.5 landed a whole bunch of interviews except for the really elite firms like BX, and other Stern kids agreed that kind of result is fairly typical.

stern or UVA though my friend says sternies are douches

Stern no doubt....OCR this year was really good, for both IBD and S&T

Stern or UVA - I personally would definitely be in favor of Stern. It's great and everyone recruits there and you can intern during the year to make yourself more competitive. It's always best to be where the jobs are. But both UVA and Stern are recruited heavily for IBD and Trading and pretty much everything else

While Stern is probably better if you want to go into finance, the quality of life is much higher at Vanderbilt. In recent years, the number of kids going to BBs is on par with if not better than Rice or UVA. That being said none of the schools will limit your chances of getting into a BB. Rice may limit you to Houston offices, but I dont know.

No problem to get into IBD from any of these schools if you're smart. Take the scholarship...

as a former houstonian, I would say UVA. Rice undergrad kids are an odd breed. Great school but people who go there look like (and probably were) high school band members.

UVA wahoowa

UVA...I'll buy you a beer

I can tell you for a fact that UVa has representatives at every BB and elite boutique from the current third-year class and things are only going to get better. You pay less for UVa, get to actually have a life and still end up on Wall Street.

UVA

For simple recruitment, UVA or Stern are above the others. Rice places quite well in Houston and kids do make it to NY, but it's not on the same level of the first two. Vanderbilt is an amazing school as well, but for banking, it loses to the others.

If this were me, I'd say UVA. They're giving you money, you'll have a phenomenal college experience, as long as you bust your ass and make it into McIntire as a sophomore you'll have amazing recruiting that's almost on the level of Stern, and as long as you take advantage of all the opportunities on that campus, you're setting yourself up very well. In contrast, go to Stern and you'll get a student body that's 69% Asian, a cutthroat student environment, unique (read: weird) school vibe, no sense of school spirit or community, rapesquad classes, phenomenal year-round access to employment + professional development + networking opportunities, an amazing employer presence, absurd OCR, and the city at your fingertips 24/7 whenever you're not slaving away through all-nighters. Oh, and the chance to get saddled with six-figure debt when you could just as easily go to another school of virtually equal caliber at half the cost and a better time as a kid.

One seems a bit more wholesome to me than the other.

If you're getting decent money at UVA, I agree with the others that UVA sounds like the right choice here. Stern is not worth the money and UVA will also offer you a better college experience. But you do need to get into McIntire.

Does anyone know what high school places best into Stern???

Seriously, go to UVA and crush it socially and academically. Getting to a BB should be no problem considering you know that's what you want this far out. When you are slaving away next to Stern-alums in 5 years you can take solace in knowing they have more debt than you, had less fun at school, and know how to have less fun when not working.

Dont go to Stern. Cutthroat environment and 69% Asian. And its not exactly easy to get a BB job there. Think about it, everyone wants to banking/consulting. Yea Stern has more kids going to BBs than UVA, etc but you have a ton more competition too.

Absolutely head to Stern, international finance powerhouse.

i think for recruiting i think it is UVA vs stern

while both schools can be a lot of fun they are very different. i feel like UVA is very fratty in a lax pinnies and seersucker sort of way so if you're not into or don't want to pledge that it won't be as fun. awesome if you are though, plus they have hotter girls. same for stern, if you're into the whole club scene in ny and most of your friends were the competitive type in high school you might fit in better there.

i don't go to either school but that's what i've heard

not sure if worth the extra costs though..vanderbilt is similar to UVA in social life

First of all--congratulations; the college process is a sick joke, and you did very well.

Frankly, I'd go to Vanderbilt. I know someone there who really, really likes it; apparently, all the BBs recruit there. Personally, I have an issue with a lot of the Stern kids I've met--many times they're very unpleasant to be around--if I had to choose between these two schools, knowing what I know and just having gone (fairly successfully) through the SA recruitment process, where I saw the Stern kids, it would be at the bottom of my list if I were choosing between these four schools. Rice is a great school (I know a few people there too), and I have no idea about recruitment there, but I have to agree with a few of the previous posters in saying that the student body is probably a little more "nerdy" (granted, I think I'd fit right in, but I'd also rather not go to a school where many people are similar to me in that regard). As for UVA, my friends there like it a lot; however, I really don't think the possible marginal benefit of going to UVA over, say, Vanderbilt, is worth the money (and, in general, Vanderbilt is a stronger school).

Once again though, congratulations--it's absolutely possible to get into top banks from any of those schools.

Stern is a phenomenal brand name and a complete finance factory. You will get something coming out of undergrad. His situation seems a bit less cut and dried though. UVA McIntire is no slouch, and given that he's got money there compared to NYU's shitshow of an aid program, based on money alone it's probably better to go UVA. Add on the fact that even if you're not planning on pledging, life at UVA outside the Greek system probably still trumps life in Stern any day. The club scene is overrated until you have money to ball.

Dude, you gotta give a lot more info than that if you want people to give good advice with this decision. For example, how easily can you afford these schools? (I understand not wanting to publicize that but you gotta think about it) If you're loaded, the scholly's aren't as important, and vice-versa. Is going to a fun/party school important to you? You also need to visit these schools and find out which you like the best in terms of overall campus "feel."

If you want to live in a huge city, and likely not get a traditional "college" experience, then Stern would be great for NY recruiting.

If you're from TX and/or want to work in Houston, then Rice would be great for recruiting. However, Houston is not a great college town and Rice is a pretty boring social school (so i hear).

UVA and Vandy would be the most fun schools (again, from what ive heard), and would give you more of a true college experience. I can't really comment on recruiting, but it sounds like you'd definitely have plenty of options at both, although maybe not as much as Stern. (UVA would be cheap if you're in state too)

So to summarize: If social life is important and you're from VA--I'd choose UVA. If social life is important and you want the scholly-Vandy. If money is important, you want to work in Houston, and you're not a huge party-animal--Rice. If all you care about is working at an IB in NYC--Stern.

go to stern, i turned down UVA and Vandy three years ago and never looked back

Keep in mind that Stern is one of the only schools where you will have a legit chance of getting a buy-side job directly out of school because of its proximity to so many shops. You can gain a lot of experience during the school year and prove you know your shit. So if you are interested primarily in HF or PE, then it's possible to avoid that banking stint altogether.

How hard is to get into Mcintire. The thing is UVA is no slouch of a school and if you dont get in (competition is getting stiffer I have heard), what are the chances of FO as econ grad from UVA? The fact that he is already in Stern is important, I think.

Like a lot of other people have said, it's really between Stern and UVA. I'm biased but I'd personally choose UVA and here's why:

FO recruitment is top notch. Every single BB and elite boutique along with dozens of regional banks recruit FO here for internships and 90% return for FT recruiting. In my estimation out of a class of ~330 per year in McIntire, 100 or so seriously pursue jobs in finance and about 50% get FO offers. Keep in mind many of these kids are international students who get screwed by sponsorship rules. Most of these people don't learn anything about the industry and don't know anything past Assets = Liabilities + Equity until their third year so if you're on WSO now I doubt you won't be able to get a job.

Admission into McIntire is pretty easy and only gets a bad rep because it's self-selecting. (everyone wants to be a business major 1st and 2nd year and gives up by the time applications are due) Acceptance rate is around 65%. 3.5+ GPA generally get in and 3.4's are looked at again after they're deferred.

Lifestyle is great. Classes (once you get into McIntire) are all less than 40 students and workload isn't bad at all. There's obviously a strong Greek life presence, especially in McIntire, but if you don't want to get involved you don't have to. There's an underrated amount of diversity here and a pretty strong international student presence in the business school itself. I've spent most of my life in NYC and had the option to go to school there. My friends all hated NYU and ended up moving off-campus after a year.

The ability to intern during the school year and the variety of small-shops that recruit NYU is a legitimate point. However, this may be anecdotal, but the NYU kids I've interviewed against really weren't knowledgeable.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents and congrats on your acceptances.

The UVA kids I've interviewed against didn't seem that knowledge, and none pulled offers from any of the superdays I was at. Honestly, any one person's sample size is going to be incredibly limited, even for those of us who went through the process with the majority of the BBs.

Stern is great if you want finance and know you do. Kids place buy-side, not bullshit either, megafund PE/HF every now and then. Everyone has a shot at IBD, it's not recruited that heavily for S&T but it can happen. The simple fact though is that community and environment here sucks, so unless you magically happen to create a friend circle that includes the babes in Tisch dance or CAS journalism as a freshman, expect to be surrounded by Stern 24/7.

^Which would blow ass, unless you're that type of person.

Really enjoyed white.collar's post. Read it again, that guy knows what he's talking about.

Go to Stern over all of them.

2nd choice=UVA; 3rd choice=Vanderbilt; last choice=Rice (last resort).

Thank you all for all the responses; I really got some nice insight into these schools.

My problem with Stern is that it seems strictly pre-professional. While I certainly want to go far with a career in finance, I don't want to sacrifice a general education. I also want a decent social life and a competitive environment that remains conducive to learning. My parents also have no money, so all the debt would fall on me. I did get a scholarship at Stern, but I would still end up with 60k of debt after 4 years if I went. (UVA would leave me with 2k, which is not bad at all). I'm not sure how literally I can take the comments about ALL the BB's recruiting at Vandy, but I'd end up making money if I go there due to stipends, so that's a pull.

Based on this, UVA seems to be the winner, although I will still dwell on the decision until my deposit is due in a week. I'm waitlisted at some of the schools someone mentioned I should transfer to, so here's to hoping. If not, I think I'd be happy at UVA.

Thanks again for all the responses!

Based on your aspirations, Vandy and UVA seem like the best fits. Vandy's social scene is amazing from what I've been told. Not to mention, Vandy is in the SEC conference so you would definitely enjoy the sporting events. Not too familiar with UVA but I'm sure you know enough about it by now.

Wahoos for sure

I attend an Ivy, but when I was applying UVA was my top choice. It had everything that I wanted good placement into IB, great social life plus the added bonus of hot girls doesn't hurt and had I got in I would've went, but I didn't =(.

I'd go UVA if I were you. Better social life / quality of life, more school spirit, and more "collegiate" lifestyle. You have the rest of your life to go compete with other people in NYC. Go throw a frisbee or two while you're in college. I certainly wish I could turn back the clock and do more of that.

Recruiters seem to love McIntire for IB since they prepare their kids so well for analyst jobs. Most banks I can think of recruit there -- all the BBs go, but the real meat of the recruiting is done by the top boutiques / middle markets, since they expect their analysts to come in with a ton of skills.

Recruiting even seems to be pretty good outside of McIntire for S&T and consulting positions. One of my buddies went there, had a blast (at least it seems like it from the stories he tells), majored in something completely random (I think art history?), had no connections to the financial world, and pulled an offer from a top trading desk at a top BB. I also know a handful of people who majored in engineering, philosophy, or english there and ended up at McKinsey. So even if you don't go the McIntire route, you'll probably be fine in terms of recruiting if you're looking at S&T or consulting.

Stern is probably the least pre-professional of all the business schools, a good chunk of your classes have to be outside of the b-school and most of the kids we see from there have studied abroad or done something different. I think you have to realize, that any business school sticks pretty close together in terms of people. It's the same at Wharton or Ross, the bschools are separated from the rest of the university.

As for the environment, my brother is there now and loves it. He describes it as a place where you have to go out and create your own community. He got involved, joined some things and made friends around the school. His close friends are in Stern but he's involved all around. I think people place a lot of their stereotypes on Stern without knowing the school. It's not some cutthroat environment, unless you are that type of person. He's good friends with everyone and there are enough jobs and interviews that you don't need to be crazy.

Stern for sure. It is a very intense school, but if you do well you are guarantee a BB job.

Stern isn't that intense, some of my friends smoke trees all day and still manage to pull 3.6+, which is actually a good GPA there.

60k is a nice car, so I would definitely go to UVA if you want to do banking. If you have the interest and think you have the chops to make it to a HF or PE out of undergrad, then go to NYU. There's no reason to consider Rice and being up 20k at Vandy isn't much of a draw vs UVA.

if you're willing to put in the work, come to stern. i think it's a better representation of what life will be like after college. it'll be less sweet now, but you'll be beasting your friends who don't know how to fill up their metrocards post-grad.

UVA

The girls at Vandy are hot as hell (I used to live in Nashville). Go there.

stern is your best option given your choices. money you pay for school seems a bit burdensome at first, but your upside is huge. internships throughout the school years, sa/ft in a fo ibd job and pe after that.

200k of loans at 21 isn't a huge number to carry. you'll be making multiples of this in 4 years + after graduation

After more consideration, I think I might just go to Stern. When it comes down to it, their finance program is one of the best, and I might as well learn how to thrive in a competitive environment. I don't think UVa's natural science/history/etc departments blow NYU's out of the water, although they may be slightly better. Living in NYC might be fun.

That being said, if I absolutely hate it, how hard would it be to transfer to HYP or something? I heard somewhere that because of certain prereqs, some options are closed--this may be totally wrong but I recall some kids talking about it when I was on a campus tour.

Going there gives you one hell of a shot to transfer to Wharton.

What fag threw monkey shit at me? If I could do college over again I would've gone to a party school with tons of hot chicks.

Now this moron is going to go into debt unnecessarily and on top of that have a shittier college experience (HIS words, not mine).

Dude you have a scholarship to TWO very good schools. Maybe if you got into Wharton or Harvard I would say screw it, but NYU is not significantly better than Vandy or Rice to warrant throwing away that scholarship.

UVA UVA UVA UVA. Forget Vandy and Rice, UVA is essentially on par with Stern and will give you as good an experience as the other two schools. Let's see, great academics + great social scene + significantly less cost than it's slightly more competitive option? No brainer.