Boston College vs Emory vs Fordham vs UHouston

I want to break into high finance, but I’m not really gunning for the absolute best firms. Also, I have no desire to work in NYC or another high COL city (which most ppl do apparently).

My parents can contribute 180k total, and I get to keep most of what isn’t spent. Emory would cost ~280k total, BC ~ 320k, Fordham ~ 88k, UHouston 0$ plus a stipend.

Is the recruiting advantage worth the cost?

My enjoyment of my college years is also a factor. Things I care about:
- partying/going out
- non party social scene (clubs, etc.)
- interesting/intelligent/not douchey student body
- social scene that doesn’t revolve around Greek life

Any insight would be greatly appreciated

 
Most Helpful

Thanks for providing some degree of context rather than these brainless monkeys who don't add any personalization to these college decision questions. BC is out of the question. Risk/Reward simply isn't there. Emory is arguably slightly better (or equivalent) in terms of recruiting, so the cost knocks BC out of the equation. $25k/year for Emory wouldn't be TOO bad imo - especially if you recruit locally, Atlanta firms will be on their knees for you (e.g., Truist). Decent party scene w/ bars and clubs, relatively non-douchey student body (stay away from frats and some athletes); Greek life can be beneficial and has a sizable presence, but it's no biggie if not in one. However, assuming you're pocketing $100k and $180k+ from your parents filling the discrepancy b/w Fordham and UH, those could be compelling. So many bots at UH that it could definitely be a "shark in a sea of fish" type scenario. However, you'll likely be pigeonholed into O&G, which you need to reflect deeply on since it will be ridiculously hard to land a gig at any recognizable firm outside of Houston. Fordham, from what I've heard, has a ton of wanna-be IB'ers like yourself, so it might be difficult to stand out if you're not a stud. You'll definitely benefit from having an entrepreneurial attitude heading into Fordham, whereas a school like Emory you can just go with the flow (i.e., 3.8+, good clubs, maybe a finance-related internship freshman year summer or one during the cycle), prep technicals aggressively for recruiting, and land a decent gig. Being in LCOL in IB will make paying off your loans easier.

 

Probably Emory. BC is pretty similar but Emory has slightly better recruiting for NYC and is a top target in the south(more options), less competition, higher reputation/prestige/rank, and slightly lower cost. All the schools will fulfill the partying/going out but BC will be the best for thus. BC has sports so that's a plus and there are a shit ton of other great schools in Boston(Harvard, MIT, Tufts, BU, Northeastern, Wellesley etc) . Emory and BC will have an intelligent student body but my gut feeling is that Emory's student body will be more intellectual/intelligent. 

ED1 Emory and ED2 BC. 

 

Emory does not have better recruiting for NYC than BC, just ranked higher overall

But because he doesn’t want to live in a big city and isn’t interested in “greek-like culture” (BC doesn’t have frats but is WASPy) Emory is a better option and cheaper

 

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