Transfer from DePaul University (Chicago)

Hey guys,

I am heavily considering transferring out of DePaul. I am currently a sophomore in the business school studying economics and finance, but since I want to go MBB or BB IBD DePaul is very lackluster at. I know upperclassmen who have gotten into IB through extensive networking and finance honors, but overall it is extremely rare to find an alumni who works in ib or mbb.

Therefore, I am considering transferring to these schools:

UVA (McIntire or Econ)
USC (Marshall)
SMU (Cox)
Boston College

Should I look at IU (Kelley) or UMich (econ) - I know you can't get into Ross as a transfer.

My Stats:
3.6+ GPA (should be able to boost close to a 3.7 or higher by end of school year)
By end of this year should take Accounting 1 & 2, Intro Finance, Micro & Macro, Business Ethics.

Any opinions or advice?

 
Best Response

As a DePaul alum who works in finance at a BB, just thought I'd offer you some advice.

It is definitely possible to work at a BB IBD or top consulting firm coming from DePaul's undergrad business school. But what you MUST do is network your ass off. You have two advantages coming from DePaul that a lot of other students don't have - 1) you go to school in downtown Chicago, which is blocks away from every major finance firm in the city. So grabbing a coffee/networking with people is VERY easy. 2) A lot of people who work downtown went to DePaul for their MBAs. Reach out to these people as well. Also, since there are a lot of DePaul MBAs around the city, DePaul has a pretty good brand name. It's not a Ross, Northwestern or UC, but it still has a good reputation.

Also, don’t discount the plethora of smaller consulting firms and middle market banks that have a Chicago presence - network with these guys too.

In regards to transferring, if you can get into a top undergrad b-school, then go for it. Otherwise, what I've learned is that you really create your own destiny in the work world. No one really cares where you went to undergrad after a year or two in the work place. All that matters is being a top performer.

Hope this helps.

 

I know a number of people from DePaul that are working at solid MM to BB firms in IB and S&T. I think that it is still possible to do very well coming out of DePaul if you work hard. I know several people in the finance honors program who are all at reputable banks now and doing very well. There are a ton firms in Chicago that you can network with locally and just because you transfer to one of the schools mentioned, it doesn't guarantee an IB position at a BB firm. Something to think about is that you will be much smaller fish at one of those schools and the competition will be much greater. Also, I am not as familiar with the transferring deal, but I would bet that many of the top caliber kids are already at those schools and in position to take the best opportunities as they are involved and probably already networking with the recruiters and alumni who can make a difference. I came from a mid-size school in the Midwest with very little representation on the Street and I made it to IB and then PE so I think that it is possible to do well coming out of DePaul, but it may be a bit harder and you may have to put in a year at a MM firm and lateral to a BB if you are that concerned about MM vs. BB.

 

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