What undergrad college do I pick?
I heard from colleges and I got in to Colgate University, William and Mary, Villanova Business School, Colby and Babson. I am also waitlisted on BC Management school and Cornell. My question is, for an investment banking job right out of college, which school would be the best? Specifically in terms of recruitment and alumni networks as well as how well regarded these schools are in the eyes of large firms. I know college is really what you make of it and right now I am publishing my own research on financial modeling in emerging markets and am the CFO for a non profit. I want to continue things like this as well as expanding my horizons when it comes to new independent research opportunities as well as possible internships. With all this said, what school would you suggest? Thank you!
You probably aren't getting off the waitlist for either, so don't hold your breath. Colby had decent representation at Barclays a little while back because of Diamond, but he's gone now.
I say go to W&M. It's got a decent number of people on the street, and is a very old institution in general, so it has a lot of ties. Babson is suspect (Boston also sucks), and I can't speak for VBS at undergrad level @TNA Don't bother with Colgate.
-CFO for a non profit -publishing research on financial modeling
Food for thought, but perhaps pursuing these relatively useless activities is why you didn't spend more time on your SAT? College is a second chance; rethink your priorities.
Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate your feedback but with all due respect, my activities are not useless. I scored in the 98th percentile for my ACT's and am in the top 10% of a highly selective and extremely competitive prep school from the most competitive place in the county. I am very proud of my academic accomplishments on the ACT and in school but I am frankly more proud of what I have done outside of school. I do not base my self worth on a single number and my experiences with independent research as well as my work with the non-profit are much more meaningful to me than a single test.
I didn't say they were useless, I said they were relatively useless. With regards to college admission, these things are a relatively uninteresting, money related activities, which really rub adcoms the wrong way, at least when dealing with those at the undergraduate level. Business school is different.
It's good that you're proud of your achievements. If you really an ACT composite score of 34 (approximately 98th percentile; you really should have taken the SAT though, ACT is dying, save in Ameristan), and are a top 10% in a school like Deerfield or Loomis or whatever, then my only guess is you are either 1. Asian 2. got suspended at some point in highschool.
Anyway, no one is ascribing your worth to a single number, so don't worry so much. W&M will be just fine.
EDIT:
Just saw that an 98th percentile ACT is about a 32, which translates into an SAT of 1420. Not sure if that qualifies at top notch at some of the aforementioned schools, but should still be high enough to get into Tufts or Wesleyan etc. Am curious if you indeed are Asian, or were suspended at some point.
First of all congratulations! You obviously have accomplished a lot even if most people on this site are too arrogant to say anything. If you really want banking go with W&M but do some research on it first if people do end up on the street from there.
You are going to spend 4 years in this place so make sure where you end up you fit very well with the environment.
Keep in mind that you can kill it in college and transfer or go for a MFin or MFE program to rebrand yourself.
Also, reach out a few times to Cornell and BC and try to out your foot through the door you never know what might happen, that's how a friend got into Columbia.
Thank you very much for your feedback. I am certainly pressing for Cornell and BC. As I said in a different response, I come from a very selective prep school. My ACT scores are top notch as are my grades. I caught a bad break and am now working with what I have to make the most of it. Thanks again for your help!
I went to Villanova my freshman year so I can give you some background on that. The only positions are the career fairs open to everyone for BBs are BO stuff like Ops, but there are clubs and organizations (in particular - Equity Society) that have private networking with BBs and end up in MO/FO stuff. Be warned though -- there was only one person I knew doing IB at GS and he deserved it. Most people that get into GS end up in S&T (most I knew were girls that did the sophomore program and then returned for junior summer). Other firms, such as BNP or MM banks will hire for IB positions.
Villanova does have a great alumni network and there are more people on Wall St. than you might expect. Everyone I'd ever reached out to was happy to help in any way they could - you just have to be aggressive about networking / searching for connections. In terms of social life, Villanova was a good school, lots of school spirit (especially during basketball season) and I had a good time in other organizations that weren't business related. It is cool to be so close to Philly too, although taking the train in can be a pain.
Full disclosure: I ended up transferring to Cornell for sophomore year
If you have any questions about Villanova or transferring PM me, good luck deciding you have some good options - don't listen to anyone here acting like you don't.
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