Fordham (Gabelli - Finance) or UCLA (Pre-business economics) or UMD (Smith - Finance) for IB?

Hey WSO,
I’m a high school senior aiming for high finance/IB, ideally in NYC, and I’ve narrowed my choices down to Fordham (65k/yr), UMD (50kyr), and UCLA (70k+/yr). 

I’d really appreciate honest thoughts from people in the industry or who’ve made a similar call. Long-term, I want to be in IB/PE/VC, and breaking into NYC eventually is important to me. I'm diversity (woman) if that still matters.

Fordham – $65k/year 

PROS:

• +Strong undergrad business school (Gabelli)
• +Small classes, good student-professor engagement
• +Bloomberg terminals, early access to finance tools
• +Some clubs (SWS, etc.) are feeders to Wall Street
• +I know people already there and involved in recruiting pipelines
• +1 hr from home, easy access to NYC for networking/internships
• +Strong alumni base in NYC

CONS:

• -Very homogeneous socially/culturally
• -Limited brand outside the tri-state (NY/NJ/CT) & not selective
• -Can feel like a commuter school, less of a traditional “college” vibe
• -Expensive, rising tuition each year, not great with AP credits
• -Dropping in rankings, not a “hot” school at all...competing with NYU and Columbia poorly
• -Student body seems mixed on satisfaction, admin not well-liked

UMD – $50k/year
PROS:

• +Get built-in community within a big school thru honors program
• +Can easily double major in things like Finance and Info Systems
• +Cheapest option, takes all my APs
• +Strong school spirit, sports, big social life
• +Collaborative culture, not cutthroat...easier to get high GPA and standout.
• +Still close to home, but far enough for independence
• +Easier access to Wall Street Fellows, less competitive than similar programs elsewhere

CONS:

• -Not prestigious in high finance – might hurt in elite IB recruiting
• -Tends to be more of a DC government consulting feeder, which I’m seriously trying to avoid especially during this political environment
• -Weaker placement overall
• -Out-of-state student = still some cost risk especially with budget cuts in MD and gov't
• -Not very selective, which may impact peer group quality

UCLA – $75k/year 

PROS:

• +Nationally prestigious, strong brand across industries
• +Family friends are telling me to go here, based off name alone
• +Beautiful campus, great weather and food
• +Tuition is locked in (won’t increase)
• +Close to family (aunt/uncle in SoCal)
• +Decent West Coast IB placement (LA/SF)
• +Might regret turning down the name

CONS:

• -Far from NYC, which is my target market. Probably won't be able to afford flights to NYC & home ever too
• -No undergrad business school or finance major, just Business Econ, and it’s not guaranteed admission. Huge classes
• -Biz Econ is very math-heavy and competitive — may have to settle for regular Econ if I can't complete the pre-reqs + grade deflation
• -Clubs are super competitive to get in
• -Career services are weak, need to be 100% self-driven
• -Extremely expensive and obviously difficult for family, especially with LA COL
• -Quarter system = fast-paced, harder to land internships early

Appreciate any insight y'all got. Just trying to make the smartest call here. Thanks in advance!