Help a Senior Pick Schools for Undergrad

Accepted to the following universities.

USC Marshall, UMich Ross, BC Carroll, Northwestern, IU Kelley, NYU Stern.

Before loans, IU and Northwestern will be 30k/year out of pocket. NYU and BC are 50k/year.

USC has not offered financial aid yet but will be hopefully by the end of the next week.

I am interested in no more than choosing a school with the best ROI. I plan on entering buy side IB after school. Which of these is most likely to "pay off"?

A part of me feels like there is a clear cut answer here with what schools have the best placement rates, and a part of me feels like it's more about what I make of the next four years - therefore I should pick the place I like best.

I haven't visited any of the schools except BC, which was pretty nice.

Can I get some advice, either general or specific?

10 Comments
 

Northwestern.

I visited BC when applying to school as a HS senior. It's in Chestnut Hill, which is a beautiful area, but removed from downtown. NYU is great but coming out with around $200K in debt as an undergrad is not ideal.

 
"TGL"
THBanker:

NW and Umich> Rest IMO

Can you explain why not USC?

If you want to stay in Southern California, I would probably put USC on top.

Otherwise, because you didn't mention the cost there, but did everywhere else, it sounds like UMich is cheapest for you? Maybe not. I would put it at the top of my list if you wanted to go to NY or Chicago out of all of those schools, regardless of cost on an overall basis.

 

Northwestern and UMich are your best choices. If both cost the same, I would lean toward UMich b/c it has slightly better recruiting and you can get a business degree (not possible at Northwestern.) If UMich is >$5000 more expensive, I'd go with Northwestern.

 

I failed to mention, UMich is also 50k/year.

Thank you for your input everyone. Can anyone speak to the atmosphere of these schools?

 

You should definitely go visit before you decide 100%, if at all possible. Sometimes that can be a real good way to filter the list. Otherwise, I'd say Northwestern. If you can get a high enough GPA, a bank in Chicago will definitely take you. Might take more effort to get to NYC (although still very possible.) If you want to be out West, USC (assuming its a comparable price).

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 

Vitae saepe et harum quaerat. Id a perspiciatis recusandae nobis sequi repellat. Nihil molestias nobis aut deleniti et nobis. Nisi quidem enim voluptas consequatur suscipit. Quis rerum illo quas sit ab aliquam assumenda ea. Sint illum quisquam optio enim. Sit eaque architecto et eaque.

Vel doloremque quia et deserunt in omnis. Optio qui et rem non qui. Harum ut et placeat quasi nemo. Qui laborum earum labore natus consequuntur. Quam vel adipisci qui ab facere nam dolor.

Qui itaque quod officiis labore ab eius. Est magnam dolore est omnis. Ea non aut velit quae. Similique cupiditate magni aperiam aliquam perspiciatis ab. Enim dicta officia illum. Voluptatibus aliquid dolores consequatur quo molestiae.

Illo natus adipisci quidem et vel. Minus quo doloremque repellendus est. Quo laboriosam ea placeat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”