NYU or USC undergrad?

I'm a Canadian senior right now, I have an offer for Stern and I haven't received one from USC yet but I expect to. I'm pretty set on IBD and I know Stern is generally considered better, but my girlfriend's a Canadian/American dual citizen and is planning on going to California for school. I was thinking there are more or less two outcomes here.

NYU: NYC recruiting, find a firm to sponsor for H1B/TN. However, I've heard H1B and TN are really coin-flip and it's possible for me to get unlucky and strike out because of that—also, I don't love the East Coast but anything for the paycheque.

USC: LA recruiting (I'd honestly rather live in LA than NYC but I've heard recruiting in LA from USC would be harder than recruiting in NYC from NYU and pay less). Same situation with finding a firm to sponsor for H1B/TN but maybe I end up getting married to my girl eventually if I go to LA since we're planning on living together if I go there depends on how our relationship progresses I guess.

I would appreciate any input or advice on what the logical decision to make is, thank you so much.

 

18 Comments
 

Logically NYU but if you do choose USC, I'd suggest not living together unless you've already seen how the relationship behaves when things are bad.

 

Don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure pay for ib is standardized across the U.S. Some forums for example mention how analysts in like Houston are paid equally to their NYC counterparts despite differences in COL, it’s just that exit oppurtunities vary regionally.

 
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I work in LA and have friends that worked in NYC - pay is standardized and won’t be much different in major cities. You probably take home more too given rent is 25-30% cheaper.

If you really do prefer the West Coast I’d heavily recommend SC as an alum. The alumni network is far more responsive, the weather is better, the school is more fun, there’s actually school spirit, and recruiting (for LA and to a lesser extent SF) is probably easier.

At Stern you’re still second fiddle to the Ivy+ universities and competing with all the GTown / Mich / UVA tier kids. In LA recruiting, USC is *the* school to be at, and it’s still an explicit target along with Stanford and Cal for SF banking.

Just look at the LinkedIns of any of the LA buyside firms (Ares, Platinum, Oaktree, Leonard Green, etc.) and you’ll see SC is the largest feeder. It sounds like you already have a preference for SC anyways so this shouldn’t be a difficult choice.

 

The way I was looking at it is was I'm more emotionally inclined to go to LA (and I guess I feel like it'd be weird for USC not to take me since Stern did) but Stern would be more rational and everyone acts like I'm insane for considering USC over NYU. But from what you're saying that doesn't seem to be the case? Would you say that even though the industry is smaller in LA it would still be easier to place from USC to LA than NYU to NY? Thank you so much for your input I really appreciate it I don't have a lot of people I can talk to about this topic.

 

At either school, placement is dependent on ability. Be committed, inquisitive, network and you’ll get an offer at the respective region for either school. SC is definitely more fun for the time you aren’t recruiting tho

 

If you want to be in LA/CA, go USC, if you want to be in NY go to NYU, simple as that. Pay will be same across US cities and USC is absolutely a west coast target so don't worry about that. If anything COL is lower in LA and you'll save more.

 

USC fasho, school Is fun and places in NYC and WC, just check the TIS website for proof. fun school, NYU is shit

 

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