Difference between Columbia vs. Johnson vs. Stern for NYC IB?

I am weighing a few offers from the major NY schools and am planning on going into IB.

Large scholarship offers from NYU & CBS + NYC Cost of Living put the costs slightly higher than Johnson. I have no definitive feelings about living one place or another, I am more looking to get the best chance at IB.

From what I can gather, Stern and Johnson place extremely well into NYC IB, so what would be the point of going to a school like Columbia that is more expensive? Does CBS offer something distinctive that I am missing? It seems to me from the employment reports that, in this area of IB recruiting, all three schools are roughly equal. I even am wondering if the fact that CBS is a historically finance-heavy school would put me at MORE of a disadvantage than Cornell or NYU, because of the higher level of competition.

As an aside, would it be worth paying full sticker price at Wharton? That is another option I have available.

I would really appreciate some other perspectives because I am new to the world of IB and finance. Thanks for any and all insight.

4 Comments
 

I'm sure someone will offer you their view on prestige and why it matters but practically here is what is important per your question: Choose Stern, Columbia and Wharton over Johnson. Johnson is not a "target" at every BB and EB the way the other three are. Recruiting from Stern and CBS will be comparatively more in-person and "high touch" than other schools (you will literally be meeting bankers for coffee in-between classes). If you feel you are better suited to differentiate yourself in-person rather than on-paper/over-the-phone then these two schools would be more for you. The recruiting processes at Stern and CBS are virtually identical. Some stats to also consider below. Good luck and congrats.

2017 IBD Full-time IBD Placement: Stern (23%) Johnson (16%) Columbia (14%) Wharton (11%)

 
Best Response

Excellent position to be in. I just responded to a very similar question from another poster so I am going to leverage that response here.

1 In going into banking post-MBA, you will be a high wage earner. Does the money really matter? If you were going into non-profit or entrepreneurship, I might suggest thinking about your financial situation, but for you, this doesn't seems necessary? Also, remember there are loans and they are not hard to get assuming you are a US citizen with a decent credit rating. 2. FIT. This important!! Where will you feel most fulfilled? If you haven't already, go to the Admit weekends. See how you feel about the campus and your potential future classmates. To me, CBS, Stern, Johnson, and Wharton are HUGELY different in feel. You might find that you really dislike being in NYC or you hate being in Ithaca. I can tell you from experience that clients often come back from Admit weekends and know "I must go there" or "I can't see myself there." 3. Think about the long-term please. Sure, an MBA will launch you into banking but what happens two years out? Where is your network? How big is your network? How can they help you? You will not always be in IB.

Hope that provides some food for thought...

Krista

mbaMission Admissions Consultant For personal advice, please see up a free consultation: http://www.mbamission.com/consult.php Website: http://www.mbamission.com Blog: http://www.mbamission.com/blog
 

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