Sup guys, where should I go to school?
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I work at one of the above funds and went to a school in the same tier as you listed. I was like you in that I was very focused on my career and was dead set on MF PE>Prestigious HF. Congrats on your offers. They’re all great choices and you can do incredibly well from any of them.
Go to the school that you will be happiest at and where you are best positioned to succeed. If you want to be on the east coast, eliminate Berkeley. If you like football, go to Notre Dame. If your wardrobe is all vineyard vines, then UVA. These schools are actually quite different culturally and socially.
People like you and me have the tendency to optimize for our careers and only our careers. At some point you need to optimize for your life. If the differences to your career are so marginal (effectively zero), then you should prioritize your life. Getting a great job is important, and I am sure you will do well. Enjoy the ride while you’re on it.
I was buyside or bust in undergrad, too. Be more open minded towards banking. The reality is, unless you go to Wharton, your base case is banking. There is nothing wrong with that, and in fact, there are many benefits to doing your two years.
By the time you're done with school, the desirability of working at these funds will probably be much lower than they are now. Don't underestimate performance chasing by not only the media and investors, but perspective employees. When I went to school the hot funds were Greenlight, Paulson, Pershing, Saba etc. No one had even heard of Tiger Global.
Echoing the above, just choose a school that you like, use it as a time to explore your interests and yourself, and don't be overly fixated on career. No one likes that kid that spends his entire life doing career clubs and networking events. Making friends and connections in school will be much more valuable than a HF job out of college.