Berkeley EECS, CMU Tepper, UNC Kenan-Flagler (Assured Admit), or IU Kelley for Investment Banking?
Hey everyone,
I'm a high school senior trying to decide between UC Berkeley EECS (College of Engineering), CMU Tepper, UNC Kenan-Flagler (Assured Admit Program), and IU Kelley. My goal is specifically to break into investment banking after graduation (ideally NYC IB).
I'd really appreciate any insights you might have regarding these three schools for IB recruiting:
* Berkeley EECS: How realistic is it for EECS majors to pivot into IB? Do banks recruit EECS undergrads directly, or would I struggle without a finance/business background?
* CMU Tepper: Is Tepper considered a strong target or semi-target for NYC IB? How effective are their finance clubs, alumni connections, and on-campus recruiting?
* UNC Kenan-Flagler (Assured Admit): I've heard it's a strong semi-target, especially for Charlotte IB, but how difficult is it realistically to land a top-tier IB role in NYC from here? Does the Assured Admit Program provide significant advantages once on campus?
* IU Kelley: I've heard some great things about the IB workshop and their strong placements, but would it realistically compare well to the other schools on this list for NYC IB recruiting?
I'd greatly appreciate any perspectives or experiences. Thanks so much in advance!
For breaking into NYC investment banking, here's how the schools stack up based on the most helpful WSO content:
UNC Kenan-Flagler (Assured Admit):
IU Kelley:
CMU Tepper:
UC Berkeley EECS:
Recommendation:
Ultimately, your decision should also factor in personal preferences, costs, and your confidence in leveraging the specific resources each school offers.
Sources: IU Kelley Prestige, Are These Good Schools for NYC Investment Banking?, Georgetown MSB vs Michigan Ross vs UC Berkeley, Comprehensive List of Target Schools for Investment Banking, The Comprehensive List of Transfer Friendly Schools For Investment Banking
The bot's CMU description is pretty accurate. There are good finance clubs and a strong major program, but the alumni network is on the weaker side, and the number of placements is low compared to our peers, considering our ranking (still some quality placements). The one benefit that CMU will offer is that it is very easy to register for a double major (say you want to do business and engineering/cs), unlike the state schools (I've heard they are quite restrictive with moving colleges). The double major @ CMU will be challenging, but you can do it nonetheless.
Thanks so much for sharing this.
Given what you mentioned about CMU's lower placement numbers compared to peer schools, do you feel like most CMU students who seriously pursue IB still end up with strong opportunities, or is it a noticeably tougher process overall?
Also, you brought up the double-major flexibility at CMU (business & engineering/cs), which sounds interesting - do you think this significantly boosts recruiting for IB roles, or would banks primarily focus on the business side of a double major anyway?
Lastly, for someone who's seriously motivated and willing to put in all the effort, do you have any thoughts on how CMU Tepper might compare overall for breaking into IB against Berkeley EECS, UNC Kenan-Flagler, or IU Kelley?
Thanks again, this is super helpful!
Don't go to tepper. Everyone is depressed from what I hear. IU IBW is strong, but you have to get in. There is also the seminar if you don't get in but placement drops. I personally would choose UNC based on your list. Fun school.
Think about it this way. No alumni network for specific companies/groups makes it difficult to network with those teams to get placed there directly. We have strong IB clubs and great-quality students, but IB is definitely on the weaker side when compared to other schools (even if they are ranked below us!).
IB was never a factor in my school decision, so I don't really know anything specific about the EECS, UNC, or IU - but even after all the negatives I bring about CMU, if you work hard enough and in the top 10% of the students, you will end up somewhere amazing.
I like where I'm at a lot. It's allowed me to major in CS and business, which are my two passionate academic interests. In terms of depression (once again, I don't really know this too well since I can't truly compare), it can occasionally be difficult (esp with two majors minors/lots of difficult courses), but everyone is so interested, smart, and quirky in their own thing that I find it to be extremely rewarding.
EECS and it's not even close. You have a strong shot for TMT groups in SF and NYC as well. Just make sure you apply to all the finance/consulting RSOs as soon as you get to campus to make it clear to recruiters that you are interested in pursuing a career in finance not tech. I know plenty of people in your shoes who all landed great seats. This is assuming you are smart enough to do well in the EECS program which I'm assuming given that you intentionally applied to it
This guy knows what he's talking about.
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