Babson MSF vs. Northeastern MSQF — international student from Brazil targeting IB/advisory in the US

Hey everyone, long-time lurker, first post here. Would really appreciate some honest input from people who've been through this or know the market well.

Quick background on me: I'm Brazilian, 5+ years of work experience across three areas — management consulting (strategy projects across multiple sectors), DCM sell-side advisory (debt capital markets, working directly with issuers and institutional investors), and data analytics. So I'm not coming in blank — I've had real exposure to deals, clients, and financial modeling.

I've been admitted to both programs and I'm trying to make the right call:

Option 1 — Babson College: Master of Science in Finance (MSF)

Option 2 — Northeastern University: MS in Quantitative Finance (MSQF)


My target roles: IB coverage (especially anything with a Latin America angle), M&A advisory, corporate finance at a bank, or AM/asset management. Not necessarily going pure quant — I want to leverage my deal and advisory background, not pivot away from it.

My main concerns as an international student:

1. Is the Babson brand strong enough outside of New England for finance roles in NYC?

2. Does the quant-heavy curriculum of Northeastern actually help for IB/coverage, or is it overkill for what I want?

I know WSO has strong opinions on MSF programs in general, would love to hear from people who've actually recruited from these schools or know alumni. Thanks in advance.