Help Me Decide: UCD vs UW–Madison vs Radboud
Hey everyone,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma and could use some input from folks here. I’m trying to choose between:
- University College Dublin (UCD): CS
- University of Wisconsin–Madison: CS + Econ or CS + CE
- Radboud University (Netherlands): CS
UW–Madison is strong academically, especially in CS, and I like the option of combining it with Econ or CE. But it’s really expensive as an international student, and I’d probably have to work right after undergrad to pay off loans, which might delay a pivot into finance. I’m also aware that UW isn’t a target for high finance roles, so breaking in from there could be tough without a top-tier master’s later on.
Radboud is much cheaper and has a solid CS program. It gives me the flexibility to go straight into a finance or fintech in Europe without worrying about debt. Same with UCD — not as cheap as Radboud but still manageable, and Ireland offers a stay-back visa but at the same time how likely is it for an asian passport holder studying in Ireland to be recruited for London based firms?
Long-term goal: break into finance (maybe IB, S&T, hedge funds, or even consulting), so I’m trying to figure out which path gives me the best shot at that in terms of ROI and postgrad opportunities.
Would appreciate any thoughts.
Thought for sure you mean UC Davis lol - good luck
What a random selection of universities.
What is your work visa status?
I'm to choose b/w these for my undergrad, for context i'd be an international asian student
Given it's CS major... school doesn't really matter (as long as it got a good ranking)
Since you have financial constraints -> go to Netherlands and save up some money for a top-tier master
However - all the school are unlikely to open the IB door for you (esp. when you need working visa + not ideal minority)
i've seen a good % of uw grads at rothschild nyc and apparently they've got a decent rep in chicago. would it be very unrealistic of me to pursue ib/consulting from uw? i've got to make a decision by the end of this month
If you’re making a decision on school, I’d strongly advise prioritising cost. Avoid debt where possible... especially if you don’t have financial backing post-grad.
I’ll be honest: breaking into IB or consulting is extremely competitive, especially without work rights in the US (or EU, increasingly).
Your profile (Asian / School brand / No working rights) makes this path very difficult, though not impossible. I say this not to discourage you, but to give you a realistic lens. I came from a similar background and had to rely on both perfect GPA and luck in early internships
my thinking is that if I attend UW and and don’t land a strong internship or return offer in IB or consulting, I can still leverage the UW brand to pivot into tech(maybe not FAANG, but definitely FAANG-adjacent roles or atleast swe roles at one of the financial firms). On the other hand, if I choose Radboud, i’d likely need to take a loan for a master’s degree anyway, and even then, the European job market isn’t as large or dynamic as the U.S. on top of that my parents believe the ROI is stronger at UW given the higher average salaries in the U.S. compared to Europe, but then given the current administration's policies we're a little confused ourselves but my family's reasoning is that by the time i graduate the current adminstration's term would be over and things might cool down a little and become stable.
sorry if it’s naive of me to ask as an incoming freshman, but this forum seemed really helpful, so i thought i’d reach out. anyway, thank you for taking time out i’d really appreciate any sort of guidance
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