Berkeley vs. Stanford (Undergrad)

Which school? Debate is open to all parameters.

I'm obviously biased but I'd love some opinions... everything from academics, prestige, job opportunities afterward, actual college experience, publics vs. privates, tuition, quality of peers, future school outlook (especially with public education cuts in Cali) etc.

Regards

EDIT: Question was brought about by a discussion between Berkeley and Stanford friends with similar (and frequently identical) job prospects lined up after school (top consulting/banking firms). Given this info (and assuming California residency and no financial aid), does the $100K difference still make sense? Does the teaching quality, etc. compensate?

Big fan of both schools to be honest.

28 Comments
 

EDIT: Question was brought about by a discussion between Berkeley and Stanford friends with similar (and frequently identical) job prospects lined up after school (top consulting/banking firms). Given this info (and assuming California residency and no financial aid), does the $100K difference still make sense? Does the teaching quality, etc. compensate?

Big fan of both schools to be honest.

http://ayainsight.co/ Curating the best advice and making it actionable.
 

GSB all the way. There is more basis for an argument for Berkeley than 99% of the schools though. But within that 1% the gap is considerable. As a visual example..

GSB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Berkeley GSB-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#10-20 ranked schools

 

Dated a chick from Stanford. As much as I wanted to hate on those kids, they really are perfect. Anyone who would turn down Stanford is deserving of getting in.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Stringer BellAnyone who would turn down Stanford is deserving of getting in.

Care to explain?

Anyway, do you guys actually have reasoning for Stanford? I go there but I'd like to know the root of all this external fascination/admiration.

http://ayainsight.co/ Curating the best advice and making it actionable.
 
Status_Quo
Stringer BellAnyone who would turn down Stanford is deserving of getting in.

Care to explain?

Anyway, do you guys actually have reasoning for Stanford? I go there but I'd like to know the root of all this external fascination/admiration.

Smarter kids, better athletics, better resources, better campus, better college life, just on another level. In my high school, we had maybe 100 kids apply to Stanford, pretty much all got shut out and the all ones who got into Berkeley ended up going to there, talking about almost 40 kids going to Berkeley.
 

All other things equal: Stanford. Comparison including price: Cal.

With the 100k difference, Stanford may still make sense if you are 100% sure that finance is for you. But is is hard to financially justify paying the extra 100k for a job in MC, comp sci, eng, sciences, etc. Having said that, Stanford is very generous with its financial aid, so it is very unlikely that there will be a full 100g difference between the two.

There is a HUGE number of Cal UG, Stanford MS or PhD at Stanford. Best of both worlds! Cheaper (but still world-class) UG, access to Stanford brand name and recruiting for only 1 year full tuition (MS) or 4+ year no tuition plus stipend (PhD).

 

UC Berkely's undergrad program is top 5 and they also have a top 10 MBA program. Stanford is the best school hands down on the entire western half of the United States.

Of course they will be recruited.

 

undergrad or mBA and want to work in banking NYC, you'll have no problem. Most people just want to work on west coast in banking since they're originally from there or due to the weather. Can't really blame them. Both of these schools are head and shoulders above the other schools on west coast, with stanford being the unanimous #1.

 

Excepturi est beatae commodi hic provident perferendis. Voluptatem non esse voluptatem non eaque excepturi qui. Facere sunt qui inventore ratione doloribus. Ullam veniam officia nam dolor quam veritatis.

 

In non aliquid possimus quis et. Cupiditate est id illum iusto. Numquam eius aspernatur omnis.

Aperiam delectus nihil qui sed necessitatibus laudantium at neque. Quam odio dolorem recusandae dolor tenetur sunt eos. Voluptatem cupiditate aliquid autem provident.

Expedita aliquam nihil nihil ipsum quo ab. Sit quasi voluptates quod praesentium. Alias qui dolorem ullam quas amet atque quo. Occaecati incidunt deleniti laborum eum possimus culpa veniam omnis.

Rem delectus odio maiores dolores delectus corporis. Tenetur porro asperiores enim atque aliquam perferendis. Doloremque assumenda nobis ipsam atque eum nisi cupiditate velit.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”