Did I screw up on my MSF choice??
I can't help but to second guess my decision. I feel like I royally f*cked up.
I'm coming from a top 20 school on the West Coast (think UC Berkeley, Stanford) but want to get back East. I have family in both Boston and NYC and my goal is to get into banking as an analyst.
I graduated about 2 years ago and have been working at a big public accounting firm (GT, BDO, etc..not big 4) and have my CPA license. I applied to many MSF programs and got into all of them, including: Georgetown, Villanova, Vanderbilt, BC, USC.
I chose Villanova because they gave me a full-ride + a research fellowship, so I'd get paid to get my degree. However, I feel like I f*cked up my year and though I won't have debt, my options coming from Nova will be severely limited as compared to Vanderbilt, Georgetown, or USC. Especially if I want to go to Boston.
Did I make the wrong decision simply to save myself money and prevent student debt? Is there a way to still get BB banking in NYC (or banking in Boston in general) coming from Villanova? The alum on linkedin don't look as promising as from the other schools...
All of those programs are comparable to each other in terms of career opportunities and program reputation. The three MSF programs that everyone thinks highly of obviously include Berkeley, Princeton, and MIT. Unless you were accepted to one of those three, I think you will have similar opportunities at the schools you listed.
Is that even despite the difference in undergrad brand? I.e - Villanova pales in comparison to Vandy and Gtown for undergrad.
No, i think you made a pretty wise decision. Those schools are all fairly equal and you were able to come out debt-free, good work.
Are you starting this fall? Just start networking this summer/early fall and be prepared. Also, Boston doesn't have many traditional BBs - just a bunch of tech/healthcare groups, so unless you're dead set on Boston long-term, I would position hard for NYC.
Good luck
You really think they're equal? This is purely anecdotal, but I feel like people's ears perk up a bit more when I say Georgetown or Vandy than when I say Villanova.
Vandy and Georgetown are better undergrads, but I think they are saying for just an MSF they are both in same league and not much difference in outcomes
As Predilection said below - they're all on about the same level for MSF programs. I wouldn't stress about this. Focus your energy on networking and recruitment - you'll do just fine with a Villanova brand name
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Yes, you made a huge mistake. I was in a similar boat when I was going through the MSF application process. I decided to go with the more expensive, but stronger option. Absolutely no regrets. When it comes to school, the value of a brand and a network is really almost priceless.
Stanford to Villanova..... I can't stop laughing.
I think you'll be fine. USC would have made no sense since you wanted to be back east. Georgetown is mostly online and has a very small MSF network. Vanderbilt has better IB placements than Nova so you would have had more opportunities there.
In my opinion you chose the second best option, behind Vanderbilt, but the fact that you have a full ride, research fellowship, and previous work experience sets you up very well for IB recruiting. Like the user above said, start networking right when you get there in June and utilize the close proximity of NYC to your advantage. Also, don't be dead set on BB IB. Most people from Nova and the rest of these programs are in MM IB.
I probably would have gone Vanderbilt and asked them for aid seeing as Villanova gave you a nice aid package.
Yeah woulda done this too did you try asking Vanderbilt to match the aid or at least match 50% of it?
Vandy full sticker price is still a better option than Nova 100% free.
I'm sorry, you're a new victim of TNA's blatant marketing of Villanova with no evidence to back up his claims. Their real placement rate is in the 50-60s. Shit even USC is better than that and they're a new program. One could get a boutique IB gig from their shitty undergrad too, why waste a year and money on Villanova which is another shitty school and students and MSF grads still do the hustle on their own to even land those boutique IB gigs. They also send you monster.com job links, LOL, and their their own portal has job ads which require a lot of experience. What a joke. It's true though. Then they say that an MSF is what you make of it to put the blame on you instead. I say: look at Vanderbilt, is their MSF any better? NO. Is there brand better? Not that much. But they still manage to have great career services and they go the extra mile to help you land a job and schools like Villanova use that "make of it" excuse to save themselves. You don't just pay for the education, you pay for the brand and the network and their services that will help you in landing that dream job.
The best thing you can do now is hustle as if your life depends on it or go the PhD route if you like academia(the safer option). A school like Rochester would gladly take you. I personally would've gone to Vanderbilt or skipped the MSF altogether if rejected by Vanderbilt and wait for the MBA.
some phantom clusterfuck is really into monkey shitting the best posts in this thread. tragedy.
by the way, if OP sadly took that offer, he/she would be as dumb as the idiot who did monkey shit on you.
I took the offer, I think being close to NYC plus not having those student loans puts me in a good spot. The downside is essentially covered, but do you think I really capped my upside all that much? I mean, Vandy is no HBS right?
This. Is. Gold. Haha.
So you want to be in Boston - why aren't you considering BC more?
Disclaimer: i know nothing about MSF programs in general, but know BC can open most doors in Boston
Echoing Little Monkey, why not BC? school has a great reputation in Boston and in general.
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