UCLA vs Berkeley vs USC Marshall

Hi! I've been lurking on this website for a bit and thought this might be a good place to ask for advice!
I'm a transfer student that recently got accepted but I'm not sure which of these schools would be best in terms of job prospects. I really want to keep my options open career wise. While I'm interested in consulting right now and not so much IB or PE or finance in general, I'm not sure if that'll change in the future.
I'd love to know which option would open the most doors in terms of opportunities after graduation, doesn't necessarily have to be in the consulting field.

**UCLA Business Econ:

  • Biz econ is the closest thing to a business major but I heard most people end up in accounting (big 4) and tough to break into other fields

  • Would most likely minor in entrepreneurship or accounting to supplement the major

  • I would probably be able to transfer into their Honors College

  • Obviously, LA is a great place to but I'm also worried about competition with Marshall kids

**UC Berkeley Political Economy/Economics (non haas)

  • So I got into poli econ but it seems quite possible to transfer into economics if I wanted to. Not sure if I want to do that yet since I have a strong interest in poli econ and stuff like international relations

  • If I do end up staying in poli econ, I was considering minoring in Data Science to strengthen my quantitative skills and make myself more marketable to employers

  • Possibly better connections with tech industry and tech firms, but also strong competition with Haas kids

**USC Marshall School of Business:

  • I haven't been admitted yet but I'm including it in here since I think I have a decent shot

  • Very strong alumni network and pretty strong business school

  • I'm hoping to double major in IR and Business Administration if I were to attend

  • A lot more minor options, possible one include management consulting or applied analytics

Going into the business field was something I recently decided and so I'm gonna be honest and say that I'm still not too familiar with the recruiting process.

**Other considerations:

  • I do have work authorization in several other countries and do plan on working abroad in the future. How would the reputations/prestige of these schools make a difference?
  • Mental health and well-being are very important considerations for me. I know Berkeley is notorious for being very stressful and competitive, and sometimes UCLA. Is it worth going to these school if they open more doors?

  • I'll be entering as a junior and for the past 3 years, I've only had internships in relatively small businesses doing marketing, which is not very helpful. I understand that I need to be as competitive as possible to land a good one for my junior year that will lead to a full time job.

  • Tuition will be about the same at all schools since I'm an OOS student

Thank you!!!

 

Pre-MBA consultant at one of the big firms here... In my view this is a tough call.

Cal is the most prestigious overall university of these three options. However, as I'm sure you know, UCLA has a Very strong reputation abroad, probably equal to CAL or close to it. Marshall is a great option if you like LA and are dead set on studying business. However, if your interests are more diverse and you don't see yourself in LA after graduation, I'd go with one of the other two.

On a personal note, Marshall is smaller and will be a more intimate community, which is valuable espec. as a transfer. I would not under weight this.

For reference on your post graduate consulting prospects: of these three schools, my firm only recruits at CAL... However, there are plenty of UCLA and USC people in consulting too

 

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