Duke/Georgetown MSB/NYU Stern College choices

Hi,Help! Our high school senior son just got accepted to Duke undergrad, Georgetown MSB, NYU Stern.He wants to go into IB/Finance. Which college would be the best choice for him as far as internship/recruitment on campus and job opportunities long term especially with the Big 3/4 banks/consulting firms? Also how would you rate the 3 for college experience/satisfaction? Does Georgetown MSB undergrad carry the same weight/prestige as the Duke name for prospective employers? Cost wise all are the same. Thanks

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Congratulations to your son - this is a great list of schools.

All three of these schools are very well represented at the top banks and consulting firms. I think trying to rank Duke vs Georgetown is splitting hairs. I'm sure there are subtle differences in recruiting/placements that others may be able to highlight, but ultimately your son's opportunities after school will be much more a function of what he accomplishes over four years rather than which brand is on his resume.

NYU is very respected and places a ton of kids into top firms. But, i) as I understand it, it's much more competitive, to the point of having a reputation of a cutthroat culture, and ii) if your son changes his mind and wants to do something other than finance (he's 18, after all), NYU doesn't have the same prestige of Duke/Georgetown outside of the NY finance world. Unless your son really wants to go to school in Manhattan, I find it hard to justify paying the same price for NYU.

 

I'm surprised NYU isn't mentioned more. I have had the opportunity to visit the campus and meet a lot of people at Stern and I honestly believe they are misrepresented as being cutthroat. I don't doubt that there are those students who are of that nature, but I don't think it's above and beyond what would be found at MSB or Duke.

I would strongly recommend going to Georgetown or NYU simply because of the business school experience and the idea that you would have the opportunity to cluster with people of similar experiences and end-goals.

Prestige is the same for these schools and if there is a difference then it's negligible. There is a strong opportunity from all of these schools to be able to pursue a career in finance or consulting.

I will also say that the experience of being in a large city like New York and D.C. is invaluable. I think you can really grow and experience things that are not really possible while in high school or at a less urban school.

 

Duke is also more prestigious than Georgetown. Not even comparable. If you want to do banking, you'll certainly get great ops. Duke is one of the few schools where all the banks recruit from (check the recent WSO report).

City experience sucks. NYU doesn't even have a campus, are you kidding me? You have your entire life to enjoy the city, there's no point to be a broke and underage student in NYC. Go enjoy the Carolinas, the weather, greek culture, sports, cheap life, and whatever else, and come to NY after graduation.

I live in NYC and love it, but would have hated it as an undergrad. Worst college experience ever.

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