UC Berkeley versus Northwestern

UC Berkeley economics/data science versus Northwestern Economics. Couple of things.. will be entering as a Junior transfer. I still hope to recruit for IB or starting analyst position. If not, it is okay it was worth a shot.
from my understanding, these two are neck-and-neck, but please correct me if I am wrong 

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Would absolutely not say in 2026 that Berkley is a bigger brand globally than Northwestern

 

For IB, unless you want to be on the West Coast, Northwestern is the better option. 

If trying to break into IB now, regardless of where you go, you will have to delay grad by a quarter/semester or a full year, so keep that in mind if finances are a concern. If you're getting a big in-state discount for Berkeley would generally take that. 

 

You’re a rising JR—all relevant SA 27 roles have closed, and even if some open up you won’t have the ability to use the NU network since you haven’t started yet. Most realistic chance would be the break in thru SA’28 

FT IB recruitment is such a shit show and you don’t want to have to rely on that. Plus all kids that get FT IB offers already did IB/something competitive the prior summer 

 

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