Got into Barnard, is it worth it

I got into Barnard College a few days ago as a transfer. After the initial buzz wore off a bit, I'm a bit worried if Barnard is worth it.

Currently attend a top 3 university at Korea & am interested in finance (interned at the Seoul office of a BB) I'm a Korean national w/o a green card btw. As a Korean undergrad, it's basically impossible to move to NY directly; I'd probably have to work in APAC 2+ years, get a MBA, and then move offices if I'm lucky.

My dream is to break into Wall Street/ start my career in the US, but I'm not quite sure how useful a degree from Barnard is.Is Barnard a non-target in the US? Thanks

8 Comments
 

if you wanna do IB in the US, go to Barnard. It's in NYC and Columbia is most definitely a target. Not sure about the culture or social life, but you will definitely have good opportunities. Even without a greencard, going to school in the US, especially an Ivy, is incredibly important 

 

Barnard is an ivy lol istg biggest backdoor into Columbia, so use it all you want. I don't get why Columbia doesn't absorb Barnard at this point... Actually am good friends with someone who transferred to Barnard after doing a year at a Kr Women's Uni – seems like they like you guys.

Anyway yes Barnard places very well into Wall Street esp in BB's so definitely will get a better chance of shooting at NY BB roles there. 

 

I go to columbia. if you want to work in the US and can afford barnard, absolutely do it. recruiting opps are the same as columbia (actually better since you count as diversity), if you're a girl and are actually interested and somewhat prepped you will land good IB roles without issues.

 

 I am a junior transfer and got into UVA Commerce,  Barnard (Econ), and NYU (Econ). I missed the sophomore 2026 SA recruiting due to some personal circumstances. Do you have any advice on which one would position me better for IB? 

I am also thinking of delaying graduation from May 2027 to December 2027 to qualify for the 2027 SA recruiting cycle. Any advice on this? 

Thank you so much for your insights. 

 
Most Helpful

Definitely worth it. Barnard is not only an excellent school but it's also in NYC... super easy to do a part-time 15-20 hr/week internship every semester to load up on experience. Also being a Seven Sisters school you will get quite a bit of recruiting for the diversity pipelines, plus you benefit from the association with Columbia. IMO this is a no brainer.

Recruiting as an international is a bit tricky with needing visa sponsorship, but being in NYC will help you network and get internships and if you start early on networking/recruiting with sponsor-friendly banks you should be okay. It will also be quite a bit easier to get over the sponsorship line given you fall into diversity category. Be aware diversity will recruit much earlier than the general pool - start researching these programs so you will be ready when they open.

 

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