Am I tweaking? (Columbia vs Vanderbilt vs UVA)

Just got my financial aid offers, and I am having a really tough time deciding where to go. Over three years, Columbia and Vanderbilt will cost $90k, while UVA will cost $150k. My college fund is $120k, and any unused money would just sit around since I don't plan on grad school. So the true cost difference for me is more like $30k, which would basically be all of my savings.

Obviously, Columbia is the most prestigious and places the best in finance and consulting, but I've kinda eliminated it because I don't fw NYC as much as I thought I would. The "traditional college experience" is also important to me, so Columbia probably doesn't make sense.

Between Vanderbilt and UVA, I definitely prefer UVA. I love the campus, the college town vibe, and heavy Greek life emphasis, so it is basically the perfect college imo. Vanderbilt checks a lot of the same boxes and seems to have a great transfer community, but I don't really like Nashville and Greek life seems less intense/important. I am also considering switching to CS (currently an econ major), which, at Vanderbilt, would be more difficult because I would have to double major or transfer to the engineering school.

Am I insane for wanting UVA over Vandy despite the price difference?

Would also appreciate any kind of insight into the columbia social scene.

 

Eum odit quibusdam sunt accusantium. Corporis non dolorem doloribus.

Et reprehenderit aliquam dignissimos alias architecto. Dolores eos exercitationem porro. Eum iste dolor reiciendis ratione. Eum quo ut ipsam voluptates. Aut consequatur autem quo reiciendis eos omnis impedit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 98.9%
  • Lazard Freres 01 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. 24 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 19 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres 06 98.9%
  • JPMorgan Chase 09 98.3%
  • William Blair 03 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 04 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.9%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners 18 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.7%
  • Moelis & Company 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (23) $378
  • Associates (94) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • 2nd Year Analyst (69) $168
  • Intern/Summer Associate (34) $167
  • 1st Year Analyst (207) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (152) $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

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...”