Choice of university/college for an IB/PE/HF career
Hey everyone, I was recently accepted to study computer science at Columbia University in NYC and at Imperial in London for my undergraduate. The relative cost of attending Columbia would put me $350k in debt while Imperial would put me $100k in debt. Additionally, I would possibly get a second major/minor at Columbia while Imperial would not allow me to.
As I plan to start a career in IB/PE/HF after my university, I was wondering which options would be the best for roles at large finance companies. Is the salary drastically different between the UK and the US, is it easier to climb the latter in either country, would going to Columbia be an advantage due to its prestige, etc? Additionally, would I be able to join a company in the UK and internally transfer to the US given I have a UK passport?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Columbia would be the safer option. There are few options that would offer a more straightforward path to IB or Investing gigs than would studying CS at Columbia and using time outside of class to network thru out the city. Imperial is probably fine if you want to avoid the debt, think it's likely you will stay in London, and have high confidence in your ability to secure a position -- but if you want the added prestige (and the security of placement that comes with it) then would bite the bullet and go to Columbia
quite a lot of bright kids go imperial and get no offers due to London recruiting being quite random. I'd say coumbia.
Unsure why you're interested in IB if you're doing compsci tho, quant finance might be smth to look into if you want to make more money but work less hours.
If you want to be in the US, go to a US university. No matter how prestigious your non-US university is, it’s going to be more challenging. First, think about where you want to work/live.
If you are going to study CS, my advice is to just recruit for quant or tech. Imo the industry has much better prospects for the future, your WLB will be significantly better, and your comp will be amazing for the hours
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