Bowdoin or Emory?

Hello all,

I'm a high school senior, and I've been admitted to both Emory (T25) for the spring semester and waitlisted from Bowdoin College (top 5 LAC). The issue with Emory is, I'll be landing on campus this January 2025 as a spring (not fall 2024 admit). 

Also, I will be entering the Goizueta BBA not in the beginning of sophomore year, but junior year since I belong to their satellite Oxford campus 40 minutes from Emory main campus. I am guaranteed entry into Goizueta however, just at a later time than most other students. On paper, I'll be majoring in economics with a slew of pre-BBA courses like financial/managerial accounting and Excel analytics, and I hope to earn above a 3.7.

However, I'm also thinking of pursuing the Bowdoin waitlist for fall acceptance (and unlike a lot of peer schools, Bowdoin legit uses the waitlist to admit kids most of whom don't need aid). While Bowdoin doesn't have the leaps and hoops that Emory has, it also has no finance courses at all and I'm worried that the network is too small. 

If I were to be admitted off of the Bowdoin WL (which is basically binding cz I have one day to respond and I must go if admitted), which university would give me a better chance at being admitted to the breaking into BBs? Please help me make this decision and thanks!

10 Comments
 

Student at Emory - Oxford is an entirely different experience. I believe it’s also different recruiting out of it. Not sure what Bowdoin is like. Maybe Oxford is still better, but getting to Emory College / Goizueta is ideal

 

If your goal is IB, both should be fine choices and it comes down to fit. Are you an intellectual? (many bankers are not. But if you’re considering graduate school at all, Bowdoin is the better choice as it has more academic prestige. 

There is also something to be said for NE vs Southern geography/network (esp. for buyside recruiting). Tons and tons of NESCAC grads here in the northeast whereas I have never encountered an Emory grad IRL

 

Got a few buddies at Bowdoink and if I know one thing about that school it's that nobody there is going to get glaucoma... Man those kids can take green bowls like there is no tomorrow

 
Funniest

Second this. Worked with a few polar bears back in the day on the sell side and they can smoke bong like no other. They would rip t-bowls in the bathroom in between client meetings and walk out unfazed, completely comfortable talking to a C-suite executive at a midwestern industrial firm despite the fact that they smelled like a pack of darts. 

 

Magnam asperiores libero molestiae corrupti nemo quam expedita. Asperiores rerum officia sint.

Aliquam voluptates blanditiis excepturi velit quibusdam. Est deserunt dignissimos eligendi debitis error ratione delectus corporis. Eos modi sint autem iusto et excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”