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!
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