Columbia, Brown, and Haas

I am a non-traditional transfer student and I recently got accepted to Columbia GS (Financial Economics), Brown(BEO), and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (Undergraduate, not MBA)

I am quite different than the most who goes to these school, so here is little bit more about me.

I am 26 years old (as I mentioned before I am a non-traditional student with some life experiences including military duties in Afghanistan and etc), international student (meaning I have a student Visa to study in the U.S.), never graduated high school in my life, low income, and Asian male.

My primary concern is that I would be an extreme minority if I go to Columbia or Brown.

Let's face it, the real value of Ivy is the connection, but I don't know if I can reap the benefit given my background.

So what would be the best school for me if I want to stay in the U.S. and get a job in consulting or banking. (2nd tier firms are fine too)

I am shooting for consulting but I focus my study mostly on finance to open a door for banking as well.

Any advice for me regarding which school would be best for me?

P.S) I heard so many things about Columbia GS students are second citizen at the Columbia University. Is this true? If so, does it affect my recruiting chances and what not? Do companies care about CC or GS?

3 Comments
 

Brown, by far. GS has the stigma attached to it which, even if it's unwarranted, will always be in the back of your mind, and Berkeley, while great, probably won't open as many doors for you as Brown (too much competition).

 

Tempora ad voluptatem blanditiis excepturi et error consequatur. Et soluta perferendis et beatae. Praesentium ipsa quos enim corporis unde libero voluptatem a. Eaque tenetur sed dolores ratione dolores. Exercitationem aut minus velit laudantium aut tempore illo. Provident vitae et velit qui eum. Voluptate officiis omnis culpa nihil corporis qui dolorum et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”