Currently deciding between the three schools. Was accepted as a transfer.
Between the three, I know it should be between Penn and Columbia for IB/buyside/MBB recruiting.
With that being said, I know CAS isn't as strong as Wharton and that the competition out of Penn was insane this year.
| +202 | UBS Accused of Favoring H-1B Workers While Cutting U.S.-Born Employees | 50 | 13h |
| +105 | IB Energy Drink Tier List / Ranking | 72 | 14m |
| +88 | PJT M&A Group Selection 2026 | 13 | 1d |
| +81 | ONLY THESE BANKS OR YOU STRUCK OUT | 28 | 12h |
| +40 | Firm Thinks I'm Lying About Offer | 17 | 26m |
| +38 | Feedback for internship first desk at IBD BB - personal fit, "don't be too confident" | 28 | 1h |
| +29 | Does BofA still pay its associates rat pellets? | 14 | 1d |
| +29 | Stay at Weak Dealflow Team or Lateral? | 7 | 1h |
| +19 | Updated JPM Group Rankings | 31 | 14h |
| +19 | VP Deal Origination Credit | 2 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Would do Columbia hands down. You're in NYC for networking and off-cycle internships, and recruiting there is very strong. Just make sure you join all of the important clubs early on, and pick your major carefully so your GPA stays high.
Penn CAS is an outstanding program, but IB recruiting is really focused on Wharton so you're more or less sneaking into their info sessions
As someone who goes to Penn, this kinda isn't true. They don't really allocate a certain number of spots for W vs C, it's more of a networking thing and there is no discrimination for being in CAS.
The reason you say way more Wharton kids in IB is because CAS kids generally aren’t interested in IB
There is a 0% chance you go to penn noob
This guys such a loser
went to Penn, this is true. + as a CAS student you can join wharton clubs and be up to date on all of the opportunities. Lastly, penn is much more fun than Columbia lol
Honestly, I would go to Columbia.
Penn CAS is still considered a target, but it's not worth being considered "second-class" compared to the Wharton kids. I also had a lot of Wharton friends who came away from this recruiting cycle completely unhappy. While the BB/EBs allocate the most spots to Penn, you also have like 600 kids recruiting in a given year (Wharton + CAS/SEAS ppl) so it's incredibly competitive. It's an incredibly toxic environment...
Personally, I would go to Columbia. There's no discrimination and there's simply less competition.
As someone who goes to Penn, this kinda isn't true. They don't really allocate a certain number of spots for W vs C, it's more of a networking thing and there is no discrimination for being in CAS.
Congrats! Both Columbia and Penn are great schools and you can’t go wrong with either. However, while Penn CAS is still considered a strong target, many top groups on the east coast do prefer Wharton students over CAS (some even directly recruit from certain Wharton clubs) given that the vast majority of Penn alums there went to W. Everyone I personally know who broke into IB from Penn CAS was very solid on their technicals and networked extremely hard to land interviews. Since there are still a decent number of people at Penn CAS interested in IB, you need to work very hard to compete for the “remaining spots” out there. Just go with Columbia so you are on fair ground with your classmates and don’t need to be constantly haunted by the idea of transferring into Wharton in your sophomore year.
I would go to Columbia
Transferred to Columbia myself a couple years ago - definitely recommend it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about it.
can I pm you too?
Quia atque quidem corporis tenetur sed soluta illum. Accusamus at non facere. Doloribus dolorem iste neque ex minima quia quod. Tempora repellat sunt asperiores iste. Numquam culpa nisi accusamus omnis. Est cumque voluptas facere aut odit. Odit asperiores consectetur corrupti sint saepe eius. Rerum officia et accusantium quibusdam laboriosam id dolor.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...