Advice for Incoming Freshman at UNC
Hi! I'm going to be an incoming freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall and I am planning on majoring in business. I turned down some other undergraduate business programs (notably UT Austin McCombs CBHP, Michigan Ross) because I received the Morehead-Cain Scholarship. I also have assured admission into Kenan-Flagler.
My main problem is that I'm worried that I didn't make the right decision. When I made my decision, I rationalized it with the Poets and Quants undergraduate ranking and the fact that I would have access to the Morehead-Cain alumni network. However, the more I think about I get worried because McCombs and Ross both seem like targets, compared to UNC, a semi-target. I'm hoping that someone could tell me (honestly) whether I'm making a huge mistake and should just transfer out of here next year. Also any information about KF and the best way to maximize my experience there to put myself in a great position for recruiting (not completely sold yet but am looking at IB and consulting rn) would be great.
Thank you for your time!
I broke in from a non target not sure if my advice will be helpful. Find seniors or recently graduated alumni that are where you want to be and copy them. Better yet make a friend or two and ask how they got to where they are today. I got close to one senior who is going to the place I want to be (and will be going for summer 2025) full time in a couple weeks. His advice and mock interviews were the most valuable things ever during recruiting.
Flagship state schools are basically interchangeable in quality of education. UT only has more bankers than UNC because Houston is a bigger tier 2 mkt than Charlotte. Having a selective scholar community is important at a big state school so BHP likely would’ve been better than regular Ross and approximately equal to being Moorehead-Cain at UNC. Take advantage of your resources and being somewhat closer to NYC than UT and get a good gpa + network, you’ll be fine. Tons of UNC folks at BofA/WF because of ocr but you can probably do better.
I know who your buddy from Atlanta going to JPM HC is, and he is an anomaly.
Unc is a good school. Get good grades. Join a frat(doesn’t really matter which one). Join clubs like Reynold and do the IB workshop(not sure if this is called but like 80 people do it). BofA/Wells should be main target but possible to do better. Have a friend going to jpm(non div). Most top placement are very div heavy tho. Other than that get laid, girls are great at UNC.
Stop hyping up this institution, which does nothing to help its students. UNC is falling down the rankings, and the Morehead who got MS did it through the Insights program. PMT and Reynolds don't do anything either. I would transfer from UNC after my first year to an actual target, as most placements from UNC are through discovery programs or hyper-connected kids.
This has to be rage-bait. UNC is a good enough school as it is and the Morehead-Cain scholarship adds a different level of prestige. You can place anywhere you want to with those connections if you prep well and have a good story.
I know who your buddy from Atlanta going to JPM HC is, and he is an anomaly.
Not that hard, just lie about diversity. Mid bb in NYC after claiming Hispanic with nothing to do with Mexico.
And CLT is literally run by UNC kids, right about NYC THO.
Choosing the morehead/cain was definitely the right decision. I am on a similar merit scholarship at a large state school. I can tell you that it not only provides massive financial benefits but also probably offers networking opportunities with M/C alumni who can provide guidance and even open doors in various fields, including banking and finance. By connecting with these alumni, you not only gain mentors but also potentially valuable endorsements based on the relationships you build. Additionally, receiving such a selective scholarship implies that you had other options, adding a distinction to your name. You are in a great spot compared to other freshman around the country.
Graduated from UNC in the last 3 years, had a good resume but average gpa and got a BB offer (not BofA) in NYC at a bank where UNC was a non target for analysts, but networked in through alumni. Ultimately landed multiple PE offers (where I am now) as well during my first year of banking. My year there were probably ~20 kids who went to BBs in NYC (largely BofA, DB and MS, but believe every BB had at least 1 UNC kid) and another ~10 at Wells in both NY / CLT. Placement wasn’t dictated by clubs etc and, as mentioned, having a perfect gpa wasn’t required. So in my experience it was a target, but from what I heard talking to students as an analyst, it seems to have gotten tougher in the last few years. A lot of students who I thought were top candidates, ended up at Wells or DB. IMO, as a Morehead Cain, good internships and a good enough GPA, you’d be positioned well for most banks with enough networking and preparation, and best bets would be BofA and JPM (unclear how their recruiting works, but multiple kids per year have gotten offers in the last few years) with GS / MS possible, but more difficult. Wells and DB should be safer options on good execution. EBs are tough and a couple of the BBs will be near impossible given they fully rely on their core school list. Citi FIG also started recruiting again from UNC in the last year from what I’ve heard. Barclays alumni are helpful, but will be really hard to get a look from them now.
TLDR: You’ll be fine at UNC. Fewer banks recruit, but there’s far less competition than other target / semi targets, and the brand represents itself well. You should get a BB or Wells if you control what you can, and have some luck. Can’t speak for consulting really, but each MBB takes ~5 per year from my understanding, primarily in southeastern offices. FT is easier than internship for these.
I am international student. Please suggest me between unc and WashU for IB
You’ve posted this several times lmao. I’m biased but IMO UNC name goes further, despite Wash U being a more traditionally stronger academic school. UNC you can be competitive and have a great shot at a BB or Wells Fargo through being normal, likable and having a strong resume without having to be in any clubs or a top gpa. I don’t know much about Washu, but not sure the same can be said.
I just want to preface this by saying you did not make the wrong choice. I had a similar opportunity at UVA through a program called the Jefferson scholarship and was able to place perfectly well. I just graduated in the spring and I had an offer from both Blackstone and KKR to work as a Private Equity analyst, though I turned both down to get my DPhil from Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. The fact of the matter is that the Morehead comes with a large amount of contacts which can help you get an interview at any shop you could want. However, coming from a school that’s not HPYSM means you just have to nail those interviews and have a convincing story. I did that by getting an internship my freshman year winter at a long-only HF that has 25B AUM and then another internship that spring at a local investment bank. I would advise you to use your network early on to get short internships during breaks to put on your resume before on-cycle begins. From there reach out to alumns (both from UNC and the Morehead) who are senior at the firm you want to get into and trust me, you will get an interview. I doubt I would have gotten a KKR interview for their junior year internship despite working at a BB IB the summer prior, but one of the Jefferson alumns is quite senior and I believe manages the balance sheet for the firm and he got my foot in the door. The thing about these scholarships is that while you will never have the volume of connections as kids at HYPW, the connections that do exist through the scholarship are incredibly valuable and responsive. My connection at KKR is the head of the firm’s Global Macro and he got back to me within 24 hours of reaching out and we had a coffee chat that lasted 3 hours the following day. While UNC might not be the biggest target, the Morehead program is outstanding and most people have heard of it, and you will get opportunities that no one else at UNC has to be frank. The program I’m in at UVA again is very similar to the Morehead and the exits are honestly quite different than the rest of the school. Every single year we have atleast 1-2 Rhodes scholars, send 3-4 straight to buy-side, have another half dozen or so go to McKinsey and some others go to MBB, send another dozen to HYS law schools, and send just as many to MS/GS. If you were to look at the exits from the Jeff/Morehead you would think you were looking at the top 10% at Harvard. Please do not listen to the negativity of the pretentious WSO members who know nothing about the program you are a part of. I turned down Yale and Stanford to go to UVA and I would do it all over again if I had the chance. Enjoy your 4 years and make sure to have fun and start planning a path to wherever it is you want to go :)
Turned down Blackstone and KKR corporate PE analyst programs (when 0 UVA students have ever gone through either analyst program). Btw, in case you weren’t aware, BX PE gave out 0 full time offers this past cycle, since you said you just graduated :)
Turned down Yale and Stanford for UVA (blatant lies, UVA was the best school you got into)
Why do prospects just lie for fun on this site lol.
I should have been more specific, I had an offer to go to BX Real Estate PE as a summer analyst but chose to intern at KKR as a summer analyst. I had a return offer from KKR and turned that down to be a Rhodes scholar in the UK. As for college admissions as with most Jefferson scholars at UVA I turned down multiple HPYSM schools, and whether you believe it or not is frankly irrelevant
The person you described does not exist. UVA announces all of its Rhodes Scholars online, and the only one this year was a bioscience major who exclusively had work experience in that field. Nice try!
Yeah I am a Jefferson scholar myself at UVA and this guy just doesn’t exist lol. The program hasn’t produced any Rhodes scholars who are interested in finance and plus we didn’t even have anyone try to go to KKR/BX this past year lol. I have no clue why they’re lying on a forum for giving kids advice
Trust me when I say this. Work hard, have fun and do whatever u want at UNC the first year, but ignore the people hyping u up and just transfer if u can bro. If u don’t transfer out it’s not the end of the world but I wouldn’t stay there
Thanks! Transfering has definitely been at the top of my mind, but I want to see how I feel after my first semester at UNC, where I can gauge the opportunities myself. With that being said, I do have the guaranteed transfer option to Cornell -- do you think its worth taking that?
Have a lot of friends at Cornell so I would def take it over UNC. TBH in that case unless ur a freaky finance hardo prestige whore who’s stressing every minute about breaking into the best buyout team at a MFPE, cornell is more than enough for most buyside roles and HF. Banking is pretty much a breeze there if ur not braindead.
In ur shoes I would pretty much spend my time at UNC very stress free. get a good GPA, make a lot of friends and connections, and learn a lot (read books/listen to podcasts). Once time comes for transfer go to Cornell and get out of there. U can still aim for other schools like Penn CAS/HYP but it won’t be a great use of ur time imo.
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