Emory vs Fordham vs USF
I want to break into high finance, and out of the colleges I’ve gotten into, these seem like the best options.
I’d have to pay close to the full COA at Emory (~280k), just room and board at Fordham (~80k), and nothing at USF (I’d also get a paid for semester abroad). I’d probably take on ~40k in debt for Emory, and get some of the saved college money from my parents at USF and Fordham.
At USF I’d be in the honors college and the Bulls Business Network. The access to special career resources, USF’s location, and the fact that I’d likely be a big fish makes me think that I’d be able to slip into a top firm in Tampa.
It seems like breaking in from Fordham is doable and just requires some grinding or getting into certain programs like the finance scholars.
The people on WSO seem to have very different opinions on Emory. Some say it’s a semi-target, and a top target in the South. Others, like the guy who wrote “Short Emory”, think it’s terrible for recruiting.
Is Emory actually bad for recruiting, or is the “Short Emory” guy just salty cause he struck out in recruiting? Am I delusional about the recruiting opportunities from Fordham and USF? Is Emory’s recruiting advantage worth taking on debt?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Fordham and it’s not even close.
You can find good and bad things about virtually every school on this website. Emory is objectively a very good school and i would say a high end semi-target but with a prestigious name that should get you interviews at most places. Emory is quite a bit better than both the other schools but you can definitely break in from Fordham and if the money is steep it wouldn't be a bad decision to go there. It is up to you to decide how much you want to spend
Bruh how did you already get into Emory? Only ED people have gotten in. If you ED there you have to go there. Also not that this matters but kids who go to Fordham from my school are usually just like average- bellow average rich kids, USF are usually not the brightest bulbs/ party animals except a few who go for engineering that are somewhat academic, and the kids who go to Emory are usually near the top of the class often the same profile as the kids going to Ivy Leagues
I can pull out of the ED agreement if they reject my financial aid appeal.
USF alum here so I'll add my two cents. I think the ridiculous price of college nowadays is overlooked quite frequently on this site. Personally, coming out of school not having to pay off student loans every month is nice: leaves more cushion in the budget for saving and splurging.
While USF is by no means a finance school, being close to Tampa helped a lot in building my resume. Secure some internships during sophomore/junior year and it will open doors when recruiting for summer/FT. Will also give you a sense early on if you actually want to do IB or even finance in general.
Don't do the Honors College, total waste of time and does nothing. Join the BBN though.
Keep in mind that Greek life is very subpar compared to most SEC schools. It is still a lot of fun being close to downtown Tampa and the campus itself is great.
All in all, would consider giving it a look if you're committed to keeping your GPA up and grinding a little extra.
Emory not bad for placement if you put in the work. Especially for Class of 2024, they have done really well for themselves so keep that in mind
Emory > Fordham >>>> USF
I'm going to assume this is for undergrad, but I think something that would be helpful context wise is where you want to break into "high finance"? Emory is a great school, but if you want to be an NYC Investment Banker, it just makes sense to go to Fordham I think. They have 2 campus' and are much closer to all the big (and small) banks since its NYC. They also have a bunch of undergrads that work on the street in different capacities. If you want to live and work in a low cost of living city, in the south, etc, then probably emory? I don't think there's a huge difference between emory and fordham in terms of the end goal breaking into front office finance so I would go with the cheaper option. I don't know anything about USF which is why i left them out completely.
Obviously I may be biased because I went to Emory but also that means I actually know what happens there. I think you're a little uninformed if you think that Emory wouldn't have an advantage over Fordham for NYC IB. Sure Emory is in the south but its consistently been a top 20- top 25 US News school and sends kids to every EB, BB, MM, and PE shop that take kids out of undergrad. Most of Emory's banking placement isn't in the south and its in NYC mainly. https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-banking . Emory seems to have slipped a little bit in the most recent data collection but it is usually in the top 20 feeders per capita and even in total numbers to ib firms. The competition is usually pretty low due to Emory primarily being a premed school, size, popularity of consulting, and since its in the south people have a lot more options than just NYC. Like one's chances of breaking into IB with a 3.7+ GPA and some clubs are very high. The clubs place very well but don't really matter that much as many outside place just as well. In fact I know people who recruited for BBs without major internships. I would say that Emory>>> Fordham >>>>>>> USF. The good thing is that if someone doesn't manage to get wall street then Emory is a huge target in the south and they can do something in Atlanta/Charlotte which are huge markets themselves.
I should have clarified. I think Emory is the better school and know it places well in NYC. I meant just geographically for networking purposes in NYC fordham would be beneficial, and at fordham, it may be slightly more necessary to apply more effort to networking than perhaps it would be at Emory. I think the bottom line is that either way, if the gpa is good and theres effort in terms of trying to network, they will find success breaking into IB from either school and if they can achieve the end goal by not breaking the bank, its a good strategy. Either way, they are good choices to have.
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