Columbia vs. UChicago cannot decide.
Currently a HS senior who cannot decide between Columbia and UChicago. I know that both institutions are on par in terms of placement, and I love both cities and the social life it offers.
With recent bad PR on Columbia, does the institution still have the same reputation on Wall Street? I am leaning towards Columbia because NYC still has more things going on than Chicago, but I don't want to graduate with a diploma that has less and less weight with every news cycle drawing out Columbia. Should I be worried about Columbia's recruitment if I attend, or is it safer to attend UChicago with its serenity in the press?
EDIT: did not intend for this discussion to become a debate on prestige
Graduate of one of the schools mentioned. Congrats on the acceptances, and I think you're doing the right thing in considering different variables—however, of those variables, "reputation on Wall Street" would be closer to the bottom of my list. You will have no issues recruiting out of either school, and it's ultimately up to how much effort you put in.
Also, I'd suggest leaving this forum alone for a couple years and touch grass while you can ;)
I hated Columbia because 90% of the kids there were the most shallow, insecure, awkward, and filled with big fat ego. However, job prospects were amazing, as I got interviews from almost every single bank that I networked with. If I had a choice and was in your shoes, I would go to UChicago and major in BusEcon which sounds far more practical. You don't have to major in Econ at Columbia but the major is far the most useless and theoretical one. Also, you should consider that Core curriculum is a big pain in the ass if you are not into humanities.
Columbia definitely strikes me as the ivy, behind Cornell, with the most chip on their shoulder "but I go to an Ivy" complex amongst the student body.
Because deep inside, they know they are not Wharton, Yale, Harvard, MIT, Caltech, and Princeton, while the administration took measures to bring down the acceptance rate from 20% to low one digit. At least Dartmouth and Brown kids had fun in college so seemed more laid back, while Columbia kids, like Cornell, had to fight for their GPA in a type-A hardo filled school. I've had too many cringy incidents that people would have their minds blown if I shared the story.
Have you heard of Penn?
Lmao wait till you meet someone from UChicago.
UChicago students/alumni sure might be on the "weirder" end, but I haven't met any I'd consider shallow, insecure or egotistical. They have an identity.
I am very biased though as one of my big regrets was not matriculating at UChicago though for undergrad instead of the LAC I went to.
U Chicago will probably also have tons of airheads
UChicago it is
Chicago is where fun goes to die. Columbia has Hamas cheerleaders. You get in anywhere else?
Brown!
Go to Brown.
I genuinely loved Brown and had excellent internship opportunities and the alumni network has been fantastic. Know a lot of people who placed at top HFs, quant funds, EBs, top groups at every BB, etc. Dm me if you have questions.
Please go to Brown, enjoy massive grade inflation and actually go to school with interesting people (Brown has the most interesting student body of any Ivy).
Brown is definitely worth consideration.
Please go to Brown. I got rejected there and accepted Wharton and Princeton, and would still take Brown if i got in there over those. The experience of going to Brown is sm better and recruitment is still great.
UChicago unless you wanna be surrounded by pro-Hamas nutheads and Asian hellokitties at Columbia
Asian hellokitties place incredibly well at Columbia comparing to white/asian males
Echoing VP in PE - not very fun places. UChicago has tough grade deflation and strong recruiting seems centered around social / athletic / finance clubs. Columbia has proximity to NYC but your competition is lots of nepotism. Technically the recruiting is equal and based on effort you put in but you have to pick your poison and understand school dynamics to best position yourself otherwise you're SOL. Assuming no cxns, probably UChicago as you have to be pretty wealthy to enjoy NYC as a college student at Columbia (and you have the rest of your life to do that).
Agree with most of this, but think it’s also important for OP to not overthink about recruiting and try to over-optimize. I’m not one to say, but college is so much more than just getting an IB job!
When did you graduate from UChicago? A lot of this has changed in recent years. I got a 3.7 in CS with minimal effort since there are plenty of easy classes to pad your GPA.
Didn't attend and you are probably right seeing as I haven't heard much about it recently, just what the sentiment was back when I applied to college. All of my NYC co-workers from UChicago have been a part of the same handful of clubs though.
Congratulations - those are both fantastic schools. Echo what another commenter said - you will have no problem recruiting from either school (quite frankly biggest item will be getting into either Lionfund at Columbia or Blue Chips at UChicago if you want a leg up). My recommendation would be to go to both schools admitted students day and see which one you like more. Happy to discuss over dm if helpful as well.
leverage your chicago and columbia offers for Brown/Yale so you don't lose your mental health. time to learn what leverage offer means earlier in your life.
Not how college admissions work lol
UChicago is a lot better than Columbia in every aspect.
1. Professors:Nobel prizes winning staff at U Chicago vs people who can’t write a proper statement
2. Students: from what I experienced, UChicago students are a lot more mature and intelligent.
3. Reputation: UChicago has better reputation not just for undergrad but all other programs (MBA, Law School, and other programs). Columbia just about accepts anyone into their masters programs (I think there are literally close to 100 programs within Columbia for masters. And 40% of NYC population has masters from Columbia)
I saw that you said you got into Brown as well. Your dilemma should be between UChicago and Brown.
Congratulations on acceptance into great schools.
"a lot better' and "40% of NYC population has masters from Columbia" sound quite biased.
Lol nobody actually thinks UChicago is better than Columbia. UChicago literally has an over 70% ED2 acceptance rate for multiple top prep schools and is seen as a safety for kids who get rejected by Columbia early at those schools. UChicago has to do 2 rounds of early decision and take almost everyone through them because they know their yield would be terrible if they didn't (kids would choose other ivy+ schools). UChicago students aren't more intelligent they just sound like straight dorks who've never been outside. And why are you comparing UChicago's MBA and law schools to some random programs at Columbia instead of Columbia's...MBA and law school. Columbia has a much better reputation historically and currently (if we're talking prestige; ignoring all the political stuff going on). Not sure why someone said Columbia is nepo-focused (realistically, though, every top school is) when UChicago is literally just a prep school feeder trying to take a bunch of rich kids to save its shitty endowment.
Where did you get 70%? Columbia MBA and law also is consistently ranked lower than UChicago, so not sure what you are talking about.
Not true at all, If people ED2 chicago, maybe got rejected from HYP but definitley not Columbia! Its common knowledge in our lifetime prestige HYPSM, followed by Uchicago 6. Nobody would rank Columbia higher than a school as elite as Uchicago. The new most Woke university image of columbia will seriously deter future recrutiing prospects, which isn't an opinion at all, but a fact
Look at any prevailing economic or finance theory and their origin. All paths lead back to Chicago
Since when does UChicago have a better undergraduate program than Columbia lol? The next best undergraduate school after Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT has always been Columbia. Not sure why people are overrating Chicago this heavily and using the recent bad press on Columbia as a reason to dunk on the school, when, in reality, it will always be seen as a top 6/7 school nationally.
Good to see all you Columbia alumni here! Seeing that all of you are so passionate about your school, makes me think maybe Columbia still has it in her. I am sorry if I have offended you. I was just sharing my perspective. But I really do not think Columbia is a top 10 school in the US. It definitely falls below HYPSM. It also definitely falls below UPenn, CalTech, Dartmouth, Brown, UChicago. And in my opinion it falls below Duke, Cornell, Northwestern, UCBerkeley. And arguably below other top public schools. For MBA, it is at the bottom of M7. Maybe even below Yale, Dartmouth and Haas. For Law School, it is on the lower end of T14. All other masters are not worth noting. If someone asks what is Columbia known for? I don’t have an answer. Perhaps only location. I have no idea why I’m so deep into this argument, since I have no affiliation with UChicago or Columbia.
What makes Columbia T6/7? As the other guy said, it is definitely NOT above some other schools.
I enrolled at one of them but had to withdraw before the end of my first term due to a family emergency. I'm now attending the other. To be honest, I haven’t found a strong sense of fit at either school, but given my circumstances as an international student on full financial aid, my options were limited at the time. I think I would have felt more at home in a smaller, tight-knit community like Princeton or Dartmouth.
I've noticed a number of students transferring to Columbia from places like Duke, UChicago, and Caltech, though I haven’t personally seen many transferring in the opposite direction, though I assume some do.
My thoughts here are mostly about keeping as many doors open as possible. UChicago has a reputation for grade deflation, although Columbia isn’t significantly different in that respect. That said, UChicago’s quarter system can offer certain advantages if you're considering transferring out as a rising sophomore.
For one, transfer applications are typically submitted before winter quarter grades are released, so maintaining a strong/perfect GPA during the fall term can be more manageable. Also, UChicago’s distinct academic calendar can help frame your reason for transferring, since only Stanford among the Ivy Plus uses the same quarter system. Lastly, UChicago’s relatively limited engineering resources can provide a legitimate rationale for transferring, while Columbia is more aligned with other East Coast Ivies.
These are my observations, not definitive or accurate claims, just something to consider if you or others potential readers are thinking about transferring.
I transferred from Duke/Caltech to Columbia. I despise Columbia more than my previous school, but I generally do not regret my decision. Also international, but full pay, but not rich family. Manhattan is stink, noisy, messy, and filthy place.
Why did you transfer?
+1 transferred from one of the three mentioned schools to Columbia, but I do enjoy my time at Columbia and live off-campus with my significant other. I understand that Manhattan may not be enjoyable for those from less affluent backgrounds. It's impressive and you will flourish shortly after graduation.
right but i really do like both institutions and have friends attending both, so my desire to transfer out is very low. between the two, what do you think distinguishes one from the other?
I would consider what city you’d like to live in post graduation. If it’s Chicago, 1 point for UChi. If it’s NYC or northeast,….
Chicago has the reputation of where fun goes to die.
Columbia seems like an interesting place and frankly a great way to rub elbows with the kids of some very influential people. I’m sure Chicago would be to a degree. A lot of Columbia kids I’ve seen are able to do a bunch of interesting internships during the school year too.
Both will recruit fine. But things will be easier if you’re in school in the city you’re recruiting for.
If I were you, I’d take Columbia. Even if both schools were located in NYC, I’d take Columbia.
Great to know that whenever I feel like arguing over which of two top schools is slightly better I can always count on WSO.
This is a hilarious comment section. Dude. Go to Columbia. I know MANY transfers from Uchicago here, and I don’t know any the other way around. People are always freaking out about Columbia in the news—but trust it has made no substantial impact on recruitment, academics, or life (minus the weeks of the actual encampment last year which impacted the last two). Honestly, the people I know who love hating on Columbia are either: Columbia alums/students who just never found a balance between campus life and NYC life or people who got rejected an try to project their insecurity onto Columbia (ie whoever was like Columbia and Cornell have the biggest chip on their shoulder 💀).
At Columbia, we are chilling on the steps or on the lawns while the rest of the world freaks out and obsesses over admin’s decisions—it’s like a bit odd tbh. +as someone at Columbia and with my hs best friends at Uchicago, finance placement at top firms (GS/MS/JPM, buyside analyst programs, EVR/LAZ/CVP) seem much better from Columbia if that matters.
What fraction of non-diverse Columbia kids get those EB gigs lol. It’s either girls or GS mil vets taking the vast majority of EB gigs, and BLK/GWI getting all the GS/MS/JPM. UChicago non-diverse kids are getting better placements nowadays.
I went to Penn. If I were you, I'd go Columbia over UChicago. Both are fine schools but Columbia has more of a legacy in finance and really any desirable field.
I'd do Columbia.
You should choose based on fit. But if you got into other good schools that are more fun, like Dartmouth or Duke you might do better. Caveat is only if you’re fun and personable. If you’re a fucking alien go ahead and go to either Columbia or Chicago.
If you want to have a life, Columbia.
If not, UChicago.
So, Columbia.
A girl from Columbia renegged Rothschild and they emailed saying they are never going to recruit from columbia again. a lot of akpsi people at columbia have been renegging causing banks to turn away
Never been impressed with anyone from either school. Go where you will have the most fun. There have to be better options than those 2 places on that note.
Unrelated, but what characteristics/traits impress you?
What makes you think “I really want this person on my team”
dont go to columbia if you got into other nice schools. every person I know from columbia is either a dorky FOB asian, an UBER wealthy FOB asian, a hamas cheerleader, literally LGBT, or has the biggest chip on their shoulder. Dont go. they had to cancel their graduation last year my man...
brown is much much better (a little touchy feely, but might be fun). uchicago or little less fun (hard school), but great place to hit the books and learn and not deal with your dormmates trying to talk to you about where you as a CISgender x male fall into the intersectional dominance hierarchy.
As a UChicago senior, Columbia.
how come? could you elaborate more?
Columbia way more banks or occur there even with the protests and Chicago you gonna be so busy studying that you can’t even have time to networkl
Why are you discounting Brown?
Columbia locations better s better because Chicago academics rigorous sou will be studying a lot even at the mba level
Columbia unless you were admitted to Columbia GS
Why? I knew people who did Dual Degree programs at Columbia (JTS, international, etc.), which are housed within GS, and they placed well. It’s just a separate admissions office to my understanding, bureaucratic nonsense.
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