UC Berkeley vs. NYU
Hi WSO Community,
I am currently transferring from a small, private school in Southern California to either NYU or UC Berkeley. At my previous institution I studied Finance, however, at NYU or UC Berkeley, I will be studying Economics and Computer Science. I was wondering if any members had any input in terms of these schools!
I am honestly torn. I have done diligent research into both of these schools and they seem to be on relatively equal ground with regards to my interest in Quantitative Finance/Asset Management.
•Academic Curriculum: Both curriculums are fantastic. I will give the edge to Berkeley here with more relevant Economics electives and a more comprehensive Computer Science program.
•Student Organizations: The investment organizations at both schools are very impressive. I will give the slight edge to NYU on this one as they have an entire society dedicated to Quantitative Finance (QFS).
•Students: I have talked to multiple students from both schools and they have been quite positive. Essentially what I have been told is that most people at these universities are quite passionate, extraordinarily hard-working, and kind.
Edit: I must add that NYU students have also mentioned that social life/NYC living can be difficult at times. Reviews of NYU from members here also seem to be mixed.
•Campus: I visited both campuses. NYU is certainly an urban setting with assorted buildings surrounding Washington Square Park. Berkeley is more of a traditional college campus compared to NYU. Both beautiful in their own ways.
•Location: New York and San Francisco/Bay Area? New York is the undisputed capital of the financial markets. However, the finance scene in San Francisco/Bay Area is nothing to scoff at.
•Recruiting: Strong at Stern and Haas but I will not be in either one of these schools.
•Cost: NYU is definitely more expensive but let's leave that out of the equation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I truly appreciate any and all feedback. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions. I will be more than happy to answer.
-Mike
Where do you want to end up?
Equity AM is much more prevalent on the east cost than on the west. FI (Janus, PIMCO, etc.) does much better out there. I'm a NJ guy, so even Philly is a challenge to me.
Thank you for your reply, Whatever1984! I would definitely rather end up on the East Coast after graduation.
When you say "even Philly is a challenge to me," what do you mean?
"A true New Yorker secretly believes that anyone, living anywhere else, must truly, in some sense, be kidding." -Steinbeck.
Philly is much more livable, but much less exciting. It's 1/10th the size, the food is much worse, and the cultural institutions are significantly lower quality. Decent houses in railroad towns for $250k is a nice bonus, however.
Purely on school rep, I'd think Berkeley is a clear winner here.
Berkeley is a top tier school, analogous to BB IB's.
NYU is a MM IB.
Hi techjobsyankee, I definitely agree that if you consulted a random sample and/or almost any published ranking, UC Berkeley > NYU.
However, in the eyes of the finance community, would you say this holds true? Hypothetically, if I went to NYU, would you say that my chances of employment in the industry would be significantly less? NYU seems to place strongly and is well-represented at most major financial institutions.
Been to both campuses and I love them both despite, as you noted, their differences.
NYC clear winner vs SF.
But you're not at Stern which places kids well into Finance, this is not to say non stern kids don't place well, but they are competing with NE Ivy leagues plus Gtown undergrads etc.
But comp sci plus economics- another factor for Cal.
Getting in to Cal is no joke, so you must be smart kid, making the consequences of this decision a little lower.
Perhaps just depends on how much you really like Ny.
Would recommend Berkeley on a academic/career basis. Much of NYU's finance reputation is tied to Stern, and without it, NYU is a step behind UCB. If this was Stern vs. Haas, I'd lean the other way, but that UCB ex-Haas has much stronger education and reputation than NYU ex-Stern.
That said, if you have strong ties to the East Coast, the drop-off isn't that large (NYU is still a decent school), and you can make an argument for comfort and ease of recruiting for NYC positions (esp. if you have no interest in ending up in SF/LA post-grad).
I personally made the choice out of high school to choose a lower-ranked east coast school over a higher-ranked west coast one for similar reasons, and things have worked out pretty well.
NYU is located in NYC and will offer plenty of opportunities
How can you leave cost out of the equation? This is a business decision to buy yourself training, credentials, brand and a network...with the goal of maximizing your earning potential. As you put it, those schools are nearly tied in your opinion, so cost definitely matters. Undergrads from UC Berkeley comp sci had an average starting base salary of $99,700, and you're starting in the heart of tech. If you don't want to work in tech...why are you majoring in computer science? Why not finance from Stern or Haas?
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