Columbia MBA J-Term ----> IB BB

NYU is the other school, and while I get your point about feeder schools to Wall Street (which Stern is), I know there is a difference. I really don't mind going through the painful recruiting/networking/interviewing and have had to do that in the past so in a way it has become second nature to me since the financial crisis. I already have any Ivy league education and know that alumni networks can work wonders. As a result of these experiences, I also know there is a difference between these two schools and the network/brand one builds over their career. In what year were you able to swing the 4 FT BB offers? Thanks and other thoughts around the topic of full time recruiting vs internship would be very helpful!

I should add that I already have a BB IBD offer for summer 2012 if I go to NYU which I actually thought was not that hard to land - not to sound too arrogant... So I am thinking that full time recruiting, while challenging, may not be out of reach for me.

Go to NYU. I think the lack of summer internship is a big deal IMO.

I would go NYU..having the internship could be invaluable and allow you to leverage it for a better job or at least use the internship to get an offer

Columbia is definitely a target/feeder school to New York and Wall Street. Within NYC, I'd argue that its brand is as strong as HSW (ok, or right behind them). spoke with a JP Morgan recruiter a while back and he said Columbia is the source for most of their associate hires for IB.

Outside of NYC, probably not so much.

CBS's brand is also stronger than Stern's. I'd usually say go to the better school but the J-term is really made for people who are going back to work in the same industry that they came from (obviating the need for an internship). like others have pointed out, an internship could be the difference maker. reach out to current J-term'ers or finance club members (ask the admission office to put you in touch) and ask them how they would go about addressing this lack of internship weakness if you did select CBS

Thanks for the advice... I see your points and know the issue of brand and internship are pretty equally important in this situation. I am in the 'information gathering' stage, speaking with HR at some of the BB I have already started interviewing with and understanding how J-Termers fare in this process. I know a number of J-Term folks who have gone to BB IB straight out of the gate and who recruited through full time, but they did have to put up the fight to land the job much more than the interns. I also know a number of J-Term folks who go to a sub-tier BB, MM, or boutique for a year or so after graduating then move to a better BB. While, yes it's trickier, it's doable. Many people have told me unanimously that CBS is stronger and the brand and network are yours for life. So while on the onset this route may prove a bit challenging for the first few years, with some diligence I could land somewhere very solid and ultimately feel better about the choices. I did approach the BB which made me an offer about the position I am in, and they are going to put me in touch with current employees who were hired into the IBD from J-Term to help me make the decision...Any other thoughts? Thanks again!