RE: Best Uni choice for IBD + Tips for 1st year?
Hi all,
Part 1: Best Uni choices for IBD?
Further to the thread before about my university offers, I've gotten the following updates:
- Nottingham Uni - Industrial Economics Bsc.
- Durham - Management (Offered - But requested change to Finance Bsc).
- St Andrews - Management (Still awaiting response).
What are your thoughts on St Andrews? Personally set on Durham right now - Durham has stronger brand image than Notts (imo); wondering how St. Andrews compares. I know it is a small thing but I would be open to hearing others' point of view.
Part 2: Tips for 1st Year?
Mainly wondering what else is recommended to do 1st year. I have composed a brief list which I will outline below:
- Joining relevant societies, commiting time to uni work consistently using schedule, and applying for spring week programmes.
Wondering if it's suggested to cold call/email a list of firms I can get ahold of regarding their internships? Are spring weeks always advertised online, or is this a good way to get more? Or, do will companies offer any internships (outside of spring weeks) in my 1st year?
Appreciate any and all input as usual, thanks.
If you pick a Uni for IB you’re gonna hate yourself
Will give my 2 cents. Like the above commenter, don’t pick a University solely on IB placement.
Durham:
pros: strong semi-target/target, very well respected University with decent placement. Whilst night and social life isn’t the sole factor when choosing a University, Durham has a very large privately educated population, a lot of it is an extension of boarding school - if you want to avoid or enter this, know exactly what you’re stepping into.
Cons: Finance at Durham and most UK Universities is not as ‘prestigious’ or mathematically rigorous as say Economics or STEM. It also can come across as very very niche, IB is an industry that loves diversity of background (hence the different pool of Econ, Engineering, Politics, History, Language and Maths etc grads). Lastly, the college system from what I’ve heard at Durham is quite good but very dependent on what college you’re at. The better, ‘nicer’ and elite colleges tend to have certain stereotypes of being snobby (University and Hatfield). People call it Dullham for a reason but if crazy nights out for you are a non-negotiable, you’ve got you’re answer. Also note that Durham actually experienced a semi housing crisis- rents there have reached nearly London prices due to oversubscription of Uni students deferring and taking gap years from Covid.
Nottingham
Pros: Industrial Econ and Econ in general does place above it’s weight at Nottingham. Course wise, it is definitely the best option to do over Management/Finance. Nottingham, given how far away from London it is, probably does better than some London unis for placement (City, KCL, QMUL for example).
Also very affordable to live in and plenty of student friendly attractions. Very good sports campus too.
Cons: if you’re not into going out etc, Nottingham may be a bit rowdy for you.
St Andrews
again a solid University but partly due to geography and size doesn’t place as well as the other 2. Also don’t fall for the ‘Stoxbridge’ ploy just because the Times ranked them no1 uni, it’s at best on par with Durham, behind Oxbridge LSE Warwick etc.
Depending on what you want in a campus, StA is very scenic and has a historic campus that only became famous because of Prince William finding his wife there. If you want to be close to city centres and have a variety of things to do apart from playing golf, StA May be a miss. Like Durham, the student demographic will be full of very well-off kids as well as a sizeable American contingent too.
Hey,
Thanks for your input first of all - much appreciated.
I'm looking for IB target/semi-target unis, but not solely for that. I'm interested in consulting / advisory in M&A, similar etc.
My thoughts on what you say are as follows; for Durham, I'm happy with it being a strong semi-target/target and I hold it in a higher regard (as a University) than Nottingham. I'm not fussed on night-life. I will want to make like-minded friends (likely through class, or societies). I'm not fussed on the demographic either; I know there are many negative connotations to the private-educated masses attending + oxbridge reject rep, but doesn't particularly fuss me. Through a glance on linkedin I've seen a few durham grads go onto Mckinsey, which is of interest, but many have done Econ/stem as previously mentioned.
As for Nottingham, I do enjoy the fact there are more people landing spring weeks etc. (and I can attest personally as a friend is on the course) than one may expect from the rest of those at Nottingham, and they do enjoy success in landing spring weeks so far. But my main worry is that as it gets more intense in the 2nd year onwards where you look to land internships again/convert, that Notts gets drowned out - and comparatively, Durham holds larger prestige that will carry through in this regard. From glances on linkedin I find more industrial econ grads with jobs I'm not interested in (out of the above fields) comparatively, but this is a glance so correct if wrong. I respect the course is more relevant as a form of Economics; but again a worry I hold is that it isn't even taught by the School of Economics so perhaps not held in the same regard/taught at the same pace as pure econ - or is it just a case of at face value - how Industrial Economics looks better than a Finance course?
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