UVA Commerce vs Berkeley Econ for IB?

Hi

I am an international student, and after having spent two years at a community college I have been accepted to McIntire at UVA and UC Berkeley for Economics.

I want to get a job in IB after graduation. Given that I am an international student, which school will give me the best shot at landing a FT offer?

I also got into Business Economics at UCLA - I am assuming this uni is trumped by the two others in terms of finance employment prospects?

Thanks

11 Comments
 

UVA comm easily. Berkeley econ is weaker than UVA Comm. If it were Haas vs Comm then it would be more difficult, but in this case the choice is simple: Go UVA.

 

HI, CWK, I would like to know what's you decision? I got into UVA Econ and UC Berkeley ECON, i WANT to work in wall street also, any suggestion?

 

You really want to go to this university?

College Republicans harassed at UC Berkeley **

**
Don´t say this in a banking interview: Which superhero would you be and why? I want to be like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor - me.
 
Best Response

UVA for sure, UVA commerce is one of the better undergrad business programs. Berkeley is a bloodbath even if you're in Haas undergrad. Too many smart Asians that are all competing for the same jobs.

We opened up recruiting for undergrads from Berkeley last year and I must have gotten well over a hundred resumes, all Asian guys all with good grades in Econ,Math,Stats etc, all with the same humdrum leaderships positions either in the investing club or in their business frat, it was literally impossible to distinguish one from another.

With that being said, if you're an Asian international, you'll probably feel much more at home in Berkeley. Berkeley has a ton of Asian people and pretty good local Asian culture. By contrast, UVA will be mostly white and preppy.

 

I went to Berkeley Econ as an international and I have to agree with you. Also, even though we have IB on-campus recruiting, you have to be extremely good to launch a FO job on the east coast.

But I also agree with LeMonkeyHK on the international office. I see a decent amount of Asian gays/gals from Berkeley got into IB and MBB in HongKong or Mainland China, and other places depending on where you are from.

 

Porro aliquam atque minima dolor id iste vero. Optio et doloribus quis doloribus et deleniti sunt. Velit atque qui dolores autem facilis accusamus consequuntur aspernatur.

Et occaecati mollitia ut in aut. Iure sit non est aut itaque impedit. Est quisquam ducimus hic quis velit.

Harum exercitationem aut et libero. Beatae iure et vel eum enim. Debitis voluptatem assumenda debitis architecto sed. At non laborum est odit voluptatem non.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”