Need SPICY opinions to help decide between Chicago Booth and CBS
Grateful to have gotten into both but need advice on where to go.
I have a non-finance background (technology mgmt consulting) and would like to pivot into finance with my MBA. However (controversially), I'd like to skip the IB gauntlet.
My list of roles that I'd want are:
- HF Analyst (non-quant fund, fundamental, value, etc.)
- Equity Research
- Sales & Trading, Prop Trading
- AM
- VC
- LMM PE (or any smaller shop willing to take nontrads)
- Finance Ops/leadership for a tech startup or PE portfolio firm
- More Technical niches of IB like Rx and LevFin?
- Whatever else
I mainly want roles in finance where I can be buried in spreadsheets and analysis all damn day long. I want to do as little pageantry for clients as possible (sick of that shit). No more damn status tracker dashboards and meeting agendas.
The list is big because I understand being a non-finance background MBA student is an uphill battle and I can't be picky.
From what I understand, Booth and CBS are two of the best places to swing big and shoot shots. But the consensus on which to pick for these two is mixed and vague.
Does anyone have any SPICY opinions they're willing to share? Cut the crap and marketing, just give it to me straight? Which would you recommend or not recommend? Is living in NYC a shitty and overpriced experience? Are Boothies nicer and more willing to help each other? I'd appreciate the unvarnished truth!
Booth is more prestigious than UChicago, CBS is less prestigious than Columbia. Go to Booth
what are you talking about
I’d go Booth. Alum of neither but have met some great people coming out of there. In terms of your career hopes, prop trading no longer exists within BBs after Dodd Frank so if not at a quant shop it’ll be unlikely. Most EBs that have Rx usually have a generalist internship so no full guarantee you don’t get put in coverage (certainly exceptions). LevFin usually hires specifically so might be more direct if you choose that route.
CBS better overall, especially if you factor in the location. Buyside recruiting wise they are on par, no major benefit of going to one or the other
Can you elaborate why CBS is better overall? Honestly, I've gotten some responses saying Booth is more prestigious and well-regarded.
CBS is like the Stern of MBA programs. Solidly a top target with enough prestige, but it's really a very competitive, high-paced environment where people only basically just care about outcomes.
I suppose my question then would be is that really a bad thing? Does it make everything extremely competitive and difficult to get into? Things like club leadership, internship opportunities...people aren't freely sharing their information...
Extremely unlikely that two people with a goal of 'breaking into the buyside' would have different outcomes from the two schools. So first and foremost, by far, you want to consider your individual preferences and which setting feels more comfortable for you to succeed.
But if we force ourselves to split hairs, I'd go Booth because it will expose you to an entire 2nd market in Chicago that is pretty unfamiliar and hard to navigate if you've never lived and gone to school there.
The counter is obviously that Columbia is located in a much bigger market but I'd also say that the non-NYC schools have plenty of connectivity to that market. If there's a random hedge fund in Chicago looking to take on an MBA, I think the Booth person has a pretty big leg up getting that job, and even finding it in the first place. I'm not sure the reverse applies as well.
I’d do Booth personally, but CBS has the value investing program.
This is my thoughts as well. Booth has the better vibe and imo the people seem smarter and more collaborative there. But CBS VIP supposedly is a legendary career pipeline into hedge funds. It's hard to ignore that.
Hey, if you ever want to break into any of those industries, please stop talking like that.
Thanks!
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