Advice On Undergrad Choice and Future

Hi everyone, long-time lurker and first-time poster. 

I have been accepted to the University of Wisconsin (in-state), IU Kelley, and SMU-- all with direct admission to the respective business schools. I did not get into the targets I applied to (Harvard, Wharton, NYU Stern) so these are the three schools I am considering currently. My goal is to break into BB IB, and I'd love to work in Chicago/Dallas/LA. not necessarily just NYC. I know Wisconsin has a pretty solid investment banking club, SMU has the alts program, and IU, of course, has the IBW; the opportunity to break into IB from these schools is there, provided I put in the work. I'm doing my best to position myself well for the future; I interned at an asset management firm this past summer and I'm in the process of lining up an internship at a small M&A shop in Chicago for this summer entering my freshman year. Given these options, which university would you choose? Anyone have knowledge of the recruiting at these schools? Is there any other advice you would give me? I'm leaning towards Wisconsin, but I hope to hear some opinions from people in the industry.

For some additional context, I would pay about 25k/yr at UW, 57k/yr at Indiana (including 24k total scholarship), and 67k at SMU (also including 80k total scholarship). Fortunately, I wouldn't graduate with debt, but the in-state tuition at UW seems like a great deal. I know IU Kelley is the #8 undergrad biz program, but I'm not sure if I can justify it being over 2x the cost of Wisconsin. I also got waitlisted from Michigan (would have to apply to Ross) and Boston College (Carroll), but those final results don't come until mid-May, and the chances are pretty slim.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks for the help!

 

Personal anecdote but there are a good amount of kids from IU at my bank and seems like a lot of their social circles are in banking. Obviously places very well and has good pipelines.

If you’re not the one paying I think it’s worth it to go to IU. Can also wait to see if you get off the waitlist at Michigan cause it’s also a great school and good IB pipeline.

 

Would recommend going to Wisconsin, the banking club places very well and will have ample opportunities whether you want to stay in Chicago or venture out to NYC. Don't need to spend 2x the money for a marginally slim difference with IU, plus will probably have a lot more fun at Wisconsin. If you are able to get off waitlist at Michigan and money isn't a problem, would go there, but Wisconsin should be top choice for now.

 
Most Helpful

Sed at doloribus rem eum eaque placeat consectetur. Eos voluptatem provident maiores sint qui et. Asperiores sequi numquam quidem et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”