Asking for help deciding my future: Northeastern vs Fordham vs Rutgers vs IE University

I'm an American student currently living in Madrid, Spain, & I'm trying to decide between these universities for undergraduate.

I would like to work in Finance in the future, hopefully in IB

Unfortunately I did not get into any target schools, but without considering cost, which of these are my best options? 

Northeastern:  Would have my 1st year in the London campus (London Scholars Program) and then move to Boston campus. Strong co-op program. 

Fordham: Being in NYC could help for internships. Possibly a semi target for NYC?

Rutgers: Seems like it has been moving a bit in ranking and reputation. 2hr from NYC

IE University: Strong semi target in Europe, one of the best business schools in Spain behind ESADE. But is IE a good option if I decide to work in the U.S. sometime after graduating?

Notes: 

- I am also currently on the waitlist for Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

- Also accepted to University of San Diego, Penn State, American University, Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, but see them as slightly lower-tier options. 

Northeastern vs Fordham vs Rutgers vs IE University (Madrid)

Fordham
29% (11 votes)
Northeastern
39% (15 votes)
Rutgers
21% (8 votes)
IE University
11% (4 votes)
Total votes: 38
8 Comments
 

Would go for Northeastern. For your fate, do not go to IE. Won't even get you an internship in the US... If you get Kelly then really go there :)

 

Good to know! Thank you very much. So you would say Northeastern with it co-ops has a better pipeline than Fordham in NYC? 

 

That commenter is a European and knows jack shit about JYC recruiting

 

If NYC is your goal throw IE out. Would also throw out Rutgers. 

I'd throw in Penn State into the mix between Northeastern and Fordham. All 3 are similar. Penn State's clubs (NLF and forget the other one) are v good for IB or IB adjacent roles. Northeastern's appeal is if you want the London experience and are willing to commit to applying for and doing co-ops, which I think is a great option imo. Also, i'd argue that of the 3 Northeastern has made the most ground in terms of reputation in the past 10-15 years in terms of university brand and alumni in finance. A lot of grinders from both school so since they're (known) non-targets/low semis at best, you will need to compete with them and be on your game with networking and technicals early. But personally, and this may be unpopular, i'd go with Fordham. Some have said on this site that Fordham's pipelines at some BBs have shrunk but I have friends there who have done very well. I dont think there is a material difference in outcomes between Northeastern, Fordham and Penn State, but imo Fordham has a better name as a university within NYC specifically and just generally within the coporate world of banking/law/consulting etc (Northeastern kids argue with me all you want about your 5% acceptance rate). A lot of kids transfer up to better schools from both Fordham and Northeastern, but i've seen a lot of Fordham kids transfer to targets after a year. Also I think your student life, unless you want to be in London for a year, will be superior at Fordham vs Northeastern. If you want a more traditional college experience go to Penn State. Also in terms of networking, since you wanna be in NYC, I think there's some value in being there at Fordham and they have a very tight alumni network who love to meet in person. 

I'd go to Fordham, but between Northeastern and Penn State i'd probably go to Penn State because I love college football lol and already lived in London prior. Your outcomes will be similar across the board

 
Most Helpful

Thank you for the comparison between the schools. I am getting more and more sold on Fordham. And when I did a quick search on Linkedin I found that Fordham has had pretty good/and or better IB placement then the other schools and that almost all of the alumni tend to stick around NYC! 
Just incase,  I got off the waitlist for Kelley would you say it could be comparable to Fordham? I know Kelley is well rated, but I have hear it is pretty selective to be accepted to the Investment Banking Workshops and some business/finance clubs. 

What I found on linkedin I think has helped convince me more to enroll at Fordham. 
 
 Fordham University:
Investment banking alumni 1,918
1,294 live in New York 

Rutgers:
Investment banking alumni: 221
148 in NYC 

Kelley School of Business
Investment banking alumni: 2,030
About 500 live in NYC 

IE University:
Investment banking alumni 306
Only 26 people in U.S

Northeastern: 
Investment banking alumni: 2,065 
522 in NYc. 533 in Boston
1,572 in the U.S overall
 
 

 

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