Going to UWO Ivey HBA as an American citizen? Better than American semitargets?

Whenever I hear abt Ivey, it's always touted as the best business school in Canada with the best shot of breaking into NYC but the students usually have Visa issues... however, what if I go there as an American citizen and recruit for NYC BBs? Would I be at a major advantage for being among the few citizens OR a disadvantage since I'm far far away in a foreign land? Is it worth doing that over semitargets like Emory or UNC here (i.e Ivey HBA = low target like Amherst and Vanderbilt)? Thanks!

 

Based on the insights from Wall Street Oasis, Ivey HBA at UWO is indeed highly regarded as one of the best business schools in Canada, particularly for those aiming to break into investment banking, including positions in NYC. Here are some key points to consider regarding your situation as an American citizen studying at Ivey:

  1. Visa Advantage: As an American citizen, you wouldn't face the common visa hurdles that Canadian or international students typically encounter when seeking employment in the U.S. This could potentially place you at an advantage, as you wouldn't require sponsorship for employment visas like the H-1B, which are subject to caps and lotteries.

  2. Reputation and Recruitment: Ivey has a strong reputation and has successfully placed graduates in Bulge Bracket banks in NYC. The school's alumni network and career services are geared towards helping students secure such positions. However, being in Canada, you might have to put extra effort into networking to ensure visibility with U.S. recruiters.

  3. Comparison with U.S. Semi-Targets: Schools like Emory and UNC are well-recognized semi-targets in the U.S. and have established pipelines to NYC financial firms. Studying at these institutions could provide easier access to networking opportunities and recruitment events in the U.S.

  4. Long-Term Considerations: If you consider working in Canada or leveraging the easier path to Canadian permanent residency post-graduation, Ivey could be a strategic choice. However, if your primary and immediate goal is to work in NYC, attending a U.S. semi-target might offer more direct opportunities.

In conclusion, while Ivey HBA is a strong program and could be a good option for an American citizen, it's essential to weigh how much value you place on being physically closer to your target job market (NYC) and having direct access to networking opportunities, which are more readily available at U.S. semi-target schools like Emory or UNC.

Sources: Canadian vs USA vs International unis, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/didnt-make-it-to-a-target-now-what?customgpt=1, Why Canadians get an MBA AND the CFA, IBD Barriers to Entry For Canadians and How to Overcome Them, Target schools outside of the US?

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Atlcalling

Probably better than UNC, not better than Emory. Also if anything Amherst and Emory are low targets not Vandy. 

Emory is ranked lower overall than Vandy and both are top semis, but why would Emory be better? Is it j by virtue of having more students interested in it + a finance/business school? Vandy is also MUCH harder to get in that Emory lol (for example, less than 18% of Emory kids have a HS 4.0 GPA whereas that number is 40%+ for Vandy)

 
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That's a manipulation of the facts and honestly dumb. Emory's avg GPA is 3.82, and Vandy is 3.85. Emory median SAT is 1500, Vandy 1540.Emory 11% acceptance rate, Vandy 7%. Not much difference there. GPA is calculated from a school by school basis and can vary wildly from state to state. Emory is just better for finance and business and general, no other explanation needed.

 

Atlcalling

That's a manipulation of the facts and honestly dumb. Emory's avg GPA is 3.82, and Vandy is 3.85. Emory median SAT is 1500, Vandy 1540.Emory 11% acceptance rate, Vandy 7%. Not much difference there. GPA is calculated from a school by school basis and can vary wildly from state to state. Emory is just better for finance and business and general, no other explanation needed.

Bro both schools calculate GPA in pretty much the same way... core unweighted classes only, whereas Emory just deletes freshman year.

Btw, as per 2023 CDS data, Emory's median enrolled GPA is a 3.8 (even lower for Oxford campus), and Vandy's was a 3.9 (which is act a pretty major difference) - find me ppl who were accepted to Emory and rejected Vandy lol. 

 

1. The CDS doesn't reveal what Oxford's GPA avg is so how would you know that?  All I could find is that Oxford's median sat last year (2022) was a 1490.

2. There's plenty on Reddit that get into Vandy and not Emory and vice versa. You're being a troll to think 3.8 and 3.9 would make a difference in holistic admissions. GPA is less meaningful than SAT scores which are also statistically the same. And deleting freshman year can affect the avg in either direction, no one knows which direction. 

3. Did you get into Emory or Vandy to even be holding this conversation?

 

Atlcalling

1. The CDS doesn't reveal what Oxford's GPA avg is so how would you know that?  All I could find is that Oxford's median sat last year (2022) was a 1490.

2. There's plenty on Reddit that get into Vandy and not Emory and vice versa. You're being a troll to think 3.8 and 3.9 would make a difference in holistic admissions. GPA is less meaningful than SAT scores which are also statistically the same. And deleting freshman year can affect the avg in either direction, no one knows which direction. 

3. Did you get into Emory or Vandy to even be holding this conversation?

1. I emailed them for the CDS out of curiosity (they don't publish it publicly but are willing to provide it privately for some reason). 

2. 3.8 and 3.9 is pretty big difference b/c a 3.9 basically qualifies u academically for all Ivies, whereas a 3.8 (let alone a 3.75 which is not too far away) could very well kick you out academically. And if you think GPA is less important than SAT, that's ENTIRELY mistaken b/c colleges always say 4 yrs of academic performance is far more important than a gameable test (anyone who's done any admissions research would know this). Why do you think that low GPA, high SAT kids get destroyed all the time (myself included)?

3. Yes - Oxford, rejected Vandy, rejected main campus too.

 

There are plenty of 3.8's that got into Ivy's. I don't know what you mean by getting kicked out but, no one is expelled unless they are failing ie 2.0 or less. Just shows you don't know what you're talking about. A median of 3.8 means what? Half are higher. And you didn't get into Emory College. 

EDIT:

I was able to find it. The values on the CDS profile are rounded. On Emory's dashboard function, it shows full values. Emory College's average GPA for enrolled students is 3.84 which rounds to 3.8. That means Vandy's could be anywhere from 3.85-3.94. It's likely closer to 3.85. For Oxford, it's 3.79, which again rounds to 3.8. Also, these are last year's (2023) values which likely means Emory College's GPA likely rounds to 3.9 for 2024 same as Vandy's. Oxford College isn't peers with Vandy so no need to add for comparison.  Lastly, I assume you were test optional which is why you're fixating to GPA. This proves you're lucky to even get into Oxford and this convo is silly. Emory is better for finance and that's really the end of it. 

https://provost.emory.edu/planning-administration/data/factbook/admissi…

 

Atlcalling

There are plenty of 3.8's that got into Ivy's. I don't know what you mean by getting kicked out but, no one is expelled unless they are failing ie 2.0 or less. Just shows you don't know what you're talking about. A median of 3.8 means what? Half are higher. And you didn't get into Emory College. 

EDIT:

I was able to find it. The values on the CDS profile are rounded. On Emory's dashboard function, it shows full values. Emory College's average GPA for enrolled students is 3.84 which rounds to 3.8. That means Vandy's could be anywhere from 3.85-3.94. It's likely closer to 3.85. For Oxford, it's 3.79, which again rounds to 3.8. Also, these are last year's (2023) values which likely means Emory College's GPA likely rounds to 3.9 for 2024 same as Vandy's. Oxford College isn't peers with Vandy so no need to add for comparison.  Lastly, I assume you were test optional which is why you're fixating to GPA. This proves you're lucky to even get into Oxford and this convo is silly. Emory is better for finance and that's really the end of it. 

https://provost.emory.edu/planning-administration/data/factbook/admissi…

 
Most Helpful

IB placement goes a lot beyond prestige lol it shows you have no understanding. It’s correlated with prestige but it also has a lot of other factors like alumni networks, historical ties/reputation, and talk within industry. Schools like Georgetown and Michigan Ross place much better than vandy and northwestern despite being equally or less hard to get into

vandy and emory are pretty similar. Any current difference in stats doesn’t mean much. On the flip side side ucla and tufts are equally selective but have worse placement. There’s way too many factors and nuance to think that a 1500 vs 1530 makes too much of a difference to be honest. Many times it just reflects institutional priorities because realistically any of these schools can admit a shit ton of 1550s. I remember reading that WashU had a higher average than many ivies. Heck vandy and duke have the same SAT, no one in their right mind will say that the placement is similar 

 

I just gave you a link that shows you the avg GPAs. At this point you're trolling, and it's embarrassing. Emory's avg GPA has been 3.84 since 2022. There's no such thing as choosing to round down, that's just how rounding works. Anything else is lying. Please stop while you're behind. 

 
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Fingerling Potatoes

Ivey grad here. If you're okay working in Canada afterwards it's not a bad idea. But if you're strictly focused on US placements, a semitarget in the US would serve you better. There are just way more alumni and banks with relationships with US schools.

I have absolutely 0 interest in Toronto lol so I assume Emory is better?

 

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