yea def go to brown and take a bunch of useless classes while you major in some bullshit like “Germanic art history”

good luck tryna break into finance

 

Congratulations, you've just had one of the worst takes on this site

 
Most Helpful

Is this for undergrad? I can give some insights about Berkeley anyway. (sorry I have no first-hand experience w/ Brown or NYU).

Cal is an AMAZING school. It's also brutally tough.

Amazing things about Cal: Top ranked programs in everything, and a huge campus with lots of options. Anything you want to learn, research, or participate in you can do there. Every program on campus was ranked 1-3 globally when I was there. Computer science was #1, tied w/ MIT. Business at Haas was #1, tied with Wharton, etc. You have a big campus with an infinite amount of options and permutations. You can dual major in anything - CS+business, or business+econ, or whatever, datascience, life sciences, etc. Cal's got you covered.

Feel like exploring different career and life paths? Cal's got every option under the sun. If you want to explore real estate, there's a center for that. Tech leadership? There's multiple programs for that. There's open audit for most of campus so you can sit in on law, or whatever. Plus you can mix and match to suit your varied interests. ROTC, study abroad, every possible sport you want - all there. It's the benefit of a huge campus.

And reputation? Foggetabout it. Cal is the #1 public university in the world, bar none, ranked on par with the Ivies, and above even most of those.

The bad? Its'a HUGE school. You will need to navigate your own way among 35,000 students. Good luck. You are on your own. For those who do make it, they come out as self-leading and able to navigate their own way through a broad and open challenge. It's also brutally competitive. It's one thing to be smart at your high school, but another thing to be in a class of 500 or 1000, and compete with some very smart people where the grade curve is strictly enforced. You could come in having crushed your high school classes, only to have that grade curve eat you alive. And good luck getting the professor to cut you some slack. He's got 500 students to worry about, and is likely more involved in research. The academic and lifestyle pressure of being just an individual in a massive, impersonal, ruthlessly competitive and hard-grading environment makes a lot of people crack. No joke we had a ton of drop-outs, transfers-out, and psychological melt-downs.

 

Reputation-wise, I agree that Cal is well-regarded, but I think the name carries much more weight on the West Coast than the East Coast. To give an example, I attended a competitive high school in the East Coast, and the only college that in my mind was worth applying to on the West Coast was Stanford, which was viewed as on par or as a slight second to Harvard. Back then, I would've perceived Cal as being in the general range of top Southern schools like Vandy, Rice, etc.

If you plan to live on the East Coast, I'd say it's easily Brown. West Coast, either does well, even if your average San Francisco guy thinks of Berkeley more highly. If Asia, Berkeley.

 

It's hard for me to debate what East Coast perceptions are, since I've never lived there. I would not however lump Cal with Vanderbilt or Rice. Those are excellent schools, but that's a whole tier down. Cal is on academic par with Stanford, Harvard Penn, MIT, Oxbridge and Columbia. I wouldn't even lump Cal with NYU, Michigan, UCLA or Cornell. Rankings-wise it's usually #1 globally in every subject, or at least in top 3 in every subject.

Individuals' perceptions of course may vary. In your mind, you might group Cal with Vanderbilt or Rice. I would very much take a differing opinion. We can agree to disagree. In the end, I chose Cal over several Ivies (Columbia, Penn), and a near-full-ride scholarship to CMU.

 

Pick Brown and don’t look back. It’s the most prestigious option and you get a flexible curriculum and easy grading as a bonus.

You might come out a stoner, but it’s worth it. Brown over any of those schools easily.

 

I second this. Berkeley is great, but not a target for NYC office. Stern is tryhard and the competition is a lot tougher since so many people intern at great places off-cycle. Brown has loyal alumni and you'll stand out over there if you're interested in FO BB

 

I would just reiterate the warning I gave above about Cal. It's an excellent school but it is HARD in every way possible. It's academically punishing, there's a tough grade curve, the stress levels are immense, there's zero hand-holding or frills, and there's no support or guidance. Later in life I attended Penn and the difference between a public school and a private school is immense. In a private school they treat you like a customer. In a public school the state is the customer and you're treated like a cog in the machine.

It sounds like what others on WSO are saying is that Brown is more lax and you get the cachet of a private Ivy League school. And some dude above studied liberal arts and got a Wall Street job. So there you go, there's a way for you to have a nice easy university experience and get into an elite job.

If my son was choosing between these schools, and money was no object, of course I would choose a private school. I would take a private over a public school 9 / 10. Private schools are more pleasant.

My two younger brothers went to top tier private schools and had way more fun and with less stress, and they have a tighter alumni base. Cal has limited alumni support - I think mostly due to its scale. I was constantly looking over my shoulder at the competition, fretting the grade curve, and fighting against the masses for job opportunities. I was afraid to try to switch majors because I might not have been able to get seats in the classes I would need to graduate and Cal kicks you out when you hit a certain number of units. Who needs that kind of stress especially in what are supposed to be the happiest 4 years of your life?

 

Brown without a doubt. Nothing stunts your intellectual and emotional development more than studying business in undergrad.

 
VP in PE - LBOs:
Nothing stunts your intellectual and emotional development more than studying business in undergrad.

As a student at a top undergrad business school, I have to agree with that statement.

 

Graduated from Stern, working in BB IB. Agree 100% w the statement above. College at Stern/similar business programs becomes 100% about finding a job. Classes are just about trying to find a way to get an A, not really digesting or learning the material. Even then, most of the classes you take are some bullshit finance class that won't actually be super relevant in your job. Granted, if you know 100% you want to do finance/IB, go to a target undergrad business program. It will set you up 100% to be best prepared for recruiting and an IB job. If you want to go to college to expand your intellectual capacity and take interesting classes or think you might want to do something beyond finance, go elsewhere.

 
Controversial

I'm honestly not sure why everyone here is saying Brown.

Pick Stern if you want a top notch business education. Yes it's cut throat but the school places lights out. Plus, you'll be in the city so it's easy to get resume experience. Did I mention that you'll be in the city? NYC is insanely fun.

Pick Cal if you want an unparalleled quant education assuming you got into a quant program. The school is so, so strong in quant fields. Plus, the weather is nice

Pick Brown if you want optionality and to be coddled. You'll probably have a more pleasant experience than the other two, that's certain. Honestly though, IB's not a particularly coddling job.

 

Second this. OP don't blindly listen to everyone on here telling you Brown. Each of your options is a great choice, but you should do more research into them and decide based on fit, future career goals, and financial aid.

 

current Berkeley Haas undergrad -- just wanted to say that the majority of IB/quant exit opps from people that I know are VERY west coast focused and mainly are in tech/healthcare IB groups in SF. if you're positive you want to stay on the east coast it may not be the best call to come here, if i were you i'd probably lean towards Brown

 

Brown will definitely give you more optionality and it’ll be fun so if you’re at all unsure of what you want to do, I would go there.

That being said, if you have specific goals in either quant or tech banking on the west coast, Berkeley might be the best choice. I know for a fact that GS TMT SF is pretty much all Berkeley alum from one business frat and Berkeley has strong presence (if not the strongest) at SF branches of MS, JPM, CS, LAZ, Evercore, Centerview. Also engineering/STEM at Berkeley is better than Brown. If you KNOW you want tech banking/quant roles, Berkeley might be better.

 
Analyst 1 in IB - Ind:
Brown will definitely give you more optionality and it’ll be fun so if you’re at all unsure of what you want to do, I would go there.

That being said, if you have specific goals in either quant or tech banking on the west coast, Berkeley might be the best choice. I know for a fact that GS TMT SF is pretty much all Berkeley alum from one business frat and Berkeley has strong presence (if not the strongest) at SF branches of MS, JPM, CS, LAZ, Evercore, Centerview. Also engineering/STEM at Berkeley is better than Brown. If you KNOW you want tech banking/quant roles, Berkeley might be better.

That's true, but it's also magnitudes more difficult from a competition standpoint - much more people want to do banking at Berkeley than Brown

 

The trouble with Brown is that it is intellectual doormat of the Ivy League and everyone knows it. Attending Brown means telling the world you’re too dumb to have gotten into a real Ivy school. But if you’re determined to acquire an Ivy degree and want to hang around stupid rich kids, Brown will be a fun, 4-year vacation.

Cal is one of world’s great universities. A powerhouse in pretty much everything it does, something that still holds despite decades of financial neglect from state of California. Downsides include huge classes and the city of Berkeley being an absurdly expensive toilet.

Brown is probably a more relaxing place.

 

Rerum sit cumque hic cumque sit sequi eum. Ut mollitia vel explicabo officia sed temporibus et. Animi architecto labore officia sapiente. Iure aspernatur a ullam tempore. Sint accusantium adipisci quia fugit minima ab.

Sed ab vel assumenda explicabo excepturi ipsam et. Quo et at et quisquam unde fugiat ut nesciunt. Qui quam saepe quod cum tempora voluptatum consequatur quasi.

 

Eveniet autem ea vitae qui dolorum. Perferendis eveniet dolores odit totam doloremque ratione libero et.

Qui quo necessitatibus ad asperiores neque est suscipit. Non odio velit dignissimos culpa qui. Aperiam velit cupiditate et officia dolores. Molestiae blanditiis harum nostrum dolores aperiam nihil molestiae magnam. Laborum quaerat cumque et maiores ipsam. Veniam sit veniam provident incidunt quo.

Sed et odio magni. Nam animi labore qui commodi. Sequi saepe nesciunt quia est omnis. Dolore voluptas ducimus nihil atque magni fuga quia. Recusandae repudiandae delectus et et iste.

 

Quas mollitia tempora facere culpa. Non optio ea quo impedit qui. Quia odio optio voluptas et id nesciunt.

Doloribus consequatur dolor dicta quia harum aut. Illum dolore voluptas libero necessitatibus non et tenetur. Aliquam et voluptas molestias dignissimos molestiae voluptatem est ut.

Ut quia quasi ducimus facilis molestias nemo. Dicta ad nisi perferendis aut nihil nostrum et. Delectus voluptas dolores in quae atque consequatur esse. Ut consequuntur ad culpa vitae.

Natus rem doloribus qui accusamus alias. Quam deleniti dolorem magnam tempore qui dolores quidem. Assumenda eum expedita adipisci provident officia reprehenderit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
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...”