Yale vs. Princeton vs. Wharton Undergrad
'm really thankful to have been accepted into all of these amazing schools! I'm currently interested in studying economics; I would be majoring in Econ/Math at Yale and ORFE at Princeton. My end goal is to hopefully work in buy-side, and I'm wondering if any of these schools will restrict my opportunities in the future.
Some background/context:
*Socially, I really did not vibe with the people and the culture at Wharton. I hated how prominent a role frats played on campus. Princeton was much better, but I still didn't like the eating club system as it created a divide between upperclassmen and underclassmen and only seems to distance friend groups.
*My visit to Yale was amazing, and I really liked talking to all the Yale students and exploring its campus. I'm worried about the strength of its job placement compared to Princeton and Wharton. Firms like Silver Lake that I would want to work for only recruit from Wharton, and I'm worried that I'll have to work much harder at Yale to have a chance of getting the same opportunities.
*Princeton's course rigor scares me, I have a couple of friends who are studying 24/7 and barely scraping along in ORFE there.
*I'm not 100% set on finance, but I can't imagine myself pursuing any other career (if that makes sense)
*Extracurricular Interests: I'd want to pursue entrepreneurship and startups, consulting groups, other finance-related EC's.
Thank you for all your help! I really appreciate it.
How any high school kid knows what the 'buy side' consists of, or can name a fund like Silver Lake, is beyond me. Guess that's why I didn't get into these schools.
Went to another ivy and majored in ORIE as it is termed there. I worked really really hard for an "unimpressive" (think 2.9/3.0) GPA by finance standards. Engineering school is no joke and will be a very different college experience than other majors.
If you think imaginary engineering is hard, I can't imagine how you would fare in EE or Chemical Engineering
Princeton network is way more valuable than Yale or Wharton.
Choosing between 3 schools of this caliber based off of perceived buy side placement will lead you to make the wrong decision and end up with a worse college experience. Always pick the place where you fit in the most whether it be a school or a job when there is this little difference in opportunity between them. You’ll be happier when you choose based on fit which will lead to getting more involved, performing better, and getting the best chance at going wherever it is you decide to go next.
I promise you no one at any of the schools you listed is kicking themselves for not going to another unless it’s because they chose the wrong fit