Transfer to Wharton?

Kids at Stanford still have a ton of opportunities. You'll have to be a bit more proactive, but almost any opportunity available to someone at Wharton is still possible for you. I wouldn't transfer just because Wharton has a larger finance OCR.

why don't you know.. just like.. work harder?

Stanford places much better in NYC IB than most schools generally. Stay at Stanford. It's a great school with great weather.

What year are you?

Stanford places very well into IB, it's just that not that many people want to do it.

If you really want to do finance, join Blyth fund, join Stanford SPBA, join AKPsi even. Then, leverage the Stanford network. Talk to other students/alumni you know who are doing IB or have done IB. If you don't know anyone, ask around, or even ask BEAM. They can usually help connect you with alumni who are willing to help out, give you advice, help get you an interview etc. As long as you have some demonstrated interest in Finance and a decent GPA, you have a pretty great shot at getting an interview for IB, even in NYC. From there its up to you acing the interviews.

I generally ignore 'help me pick a school' or 'what group is best' questions like this, but someone just gave me a SB a couple days ago for an old post I made a year and a half ago discussing this exact question (Stanford's placement in East Coast banking).

The post (pasting below too, and you should also read the rest of that thread):

APAE:

There's more than one alumni of both schools in my closest group of friends. As someone who went to neither school, interned at one of the top BB/EB groups everyone on this forum jerks it to, and went to another of those same top BB/EB groups after school, here's what I can tell you.

Princeton has really bad grade deflation. I obviously didn't experience it firsthand, but the guys there said it was .3-.4 relative to other schools. A kid I interned with had a 3.28 (and got into one of these elite firms on his own merits, he had no networking connection).

Depending on where you're from and how you look at things, Princeton has either a pretty clubby or pretty stuffy culture. Eating clubs are a big influence on campus life and the social scene. If you're from that sort of background, there's nothing amiss. If you're not, it can feel like you're cut out of the core of things.

Princeton has a lot of kids interested in finance and consulting. That means there's a larger proportion of the student body applying for each opportunity. The GS, MS, and buy-side info sessions are absolutely swamped each year.

Princeton is in New Jersey (albeit one of the nicest parts). The campus is the classic Ivy League archetype that probably rushes into your brain the minute you think "college." Long, sweeping paths - gorgeous quads - historical buildings that are older than the nation - green everywhere - tall, leafy trees ... until winter. Then it's welcome to the hurt.

Stanford's campus is sweeping, open, and sunny. It's prototypical California.

Academics are challenging but fair. None of my friends complained about the grading (but no one said it was easy; some did joke about the well-known inflation at Harvard).

The student body is very international and very diverse in terms of interest. The revolving door between campus and Silicon Valley is obviously well-known, but there's more. Some people are set on going to law school, others to grad school for academia, others are interested in engineering and working for one of the big bio/chem/mech/aero/etc. giants that are out there, others are chasing compsci in the pursuit of the classic Bay Area thing, others are burning with ambition for their own business, etc.

For your career interest, that means you're going up against a smaller fraction of the student body for the same interests. If you're concerned about placement, I'll say it simply: if you want to get to NYC BB IBD and fail somehow, it won't be because Stanford was a hindrance. Every BB recruits there. A number of buy-side firms recruit there (and there only), like Golden Gate, some small NorCal hedge funds, and a number of VC funds.

You may not be on campus looking to live a vibrant social life, but it's worth mentioning that the girls there are more conventionally attractive and fun than at any of the six Ivy campuses I visited during undergrad. Also worth mentioning is a fantastic sports scene (led by an amazing football program that's a perennial bowl participant and now playoff contender).

At the end of the day, both schools will position you remarkably well for the future. You have a champagne problem. The decision ultimately comes down to how you subjectively score each dimension between the two schools.

Were I advising a younger relative or mentee, I'd make a strong case for Stanford:

a) By most people's measuring stick (weather, sports, girls, Greeklife), it's a way more fun place to spend four years b) Your immediate career interests (NYC banking) are not only very achievable but perhaps easier on relative terms than Princeton c) If b-school is on your radar, the only other school ad-coms look as favorably upon is Harvard; GSB also really loves Stanford undergrads d) The world is increasingly driven by technology; being in the geographical and intellectual heart of that industry during undergrad is a rare privilege e) You'll have a much less homogeneous network from undergrad

Good luck either way, and congrats.

OP, more applicants doesn't necessarily mean more competition. If there are 400 kids for 15 spots, that's about the same competition as 27 kids for 1 spot

Wharton will maximize your opportunity potential in the finance world, given more companies will recruit there (for example, some hedge funds will only recruit from Harvard and Wharton), you have more resources to become knowledgeable, and it's pretty close to NYC, the biggest financial hub. But you can still get great finance jobs/internships from Stanford given the brand name (stronger than Penn as a university) and alumni network, you just might have to be a bit more creative instead of a lot of things being handed to you on a platter

I think it's worth pursuing a transfer if you're 100% dead set on finance or have reasons to transfer in addition to finance job prospects (for instance, you don't like California, want a city experience, like the Greek scene, etc). But if your only motivation is job related, then it's more of a toss-up given the effort that's likely involved, and the disruption of college experience as well

It's almost never worth transitioning between top schools, particularly when your choices are Stanford and Princeton. You'll have plenty of opportunities at both; where you end up is entirely up to you.

I know a few Stanford grads working BB IBD in SF and NYC. I also think Brian from Mergers & Inquisitions/Breaking Into Wall Street is an alumni. If you have your shit together, you should be able to land something good. It also helps that if you decide against IB, the Stanford brand and on-campus recruiting is stronger than Penn/Wharton. Going against the grain at a school with such a strong tech culture can be tough, but that kind of resilience is an important trait to develop and essential to any exceptional career (especially if your hope is to become an investor).

Stanford is just as good as Wharton and probably better. Not quite as strong of a finance bend, but you should still be able to place pretty much anywhere. Keep your grades up, join all the relevant clubs and it should be pretty easy.

Plus Palo Alto>Philly

Thanks for the replies everyone, they've been very helpful! Just out of curiosity, if there is anyone here who was in summer analyst programs at GS/MS/JP/BAML and the like either recently or in years past, how many Stanford students were present if you remember? I know everyone here is praising Stanford's placement in NYC, but I've been getting conflicting information from upperclassmen here.