Is Brown University a Target School?
Hi,
I’m a rising senior from Texas, and I’ll be attending Brown University in the fall. I’m going to be studying economics, and I’m looking to break into top-tier investment banking, private equity, or venture capital firms.
Brown as a school has a lot of prestige, but I’ve heard it’s not the best for finance. I’ve seen mixed things about on-campus recruiting, and I’m not sure if there are alumni at the top banks.
This post really boils down to two questions:
1. Is Brown University a strong target school for IB/PE/VC? How does it compare to other targets?
2. What should I do to maximize my chances of breaking in? Clubs, internships, other opportunities?
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, Brown University is indeed considered a strong target/semi-target school for investment banking (IB), private equity (PE), and venture capital (VC) firms. Here's a breakdown to address your questions:
Is Brown University a strong target school for IB/PE/VC? How does it compare to other targets?
What should I do to maximize my chances of breaking in? Clubs, internships, other opportunities?
In summary, Brown University offers a solid platform for breaking into high finance. Leveraging the school's resources, actively seeking internships, engaging in relevant extracurricular activities, and networking effectively are key steps to maximize your chances of success in the competitive fields of IB, PE, and VC.
Sources: Brown University is by far the most underrated Target/Semi-Target, Brown University is by far the most underrated Target/Semi-Target, Advice for undergrads going into IB interested in PE, Which school should I attend to get into Investment Banking: UVA Mcintire or Brown?, IU Kelley Top Target or Semi-Target?
Del
Goldman, Centerview, MS, BofA, Barclays, and some smaller boutiques all come on campus for first round interviews/screening. In terms of VC/PE, Insight Partners takes a bunch of Brown students as well.
JPM/UBS/DB as well as Qatalyst, PWP, and Evercore don't come on campus but usually give out a few first rounds/superdays.
There are alumni (especially at the senior levels) at pretty much every top bank and if you start early with networking, they're usually willing to get on the phone with you. Not many people at Brown are super interested in IB starting from freshman year so my main recommendation is to get involved in the investment clubs (BIG or SRIF or VWV for VC) and lean on the upperclassmen and alumni network for advice and recruitment help. Feel free to PM
.
Pretty good on campus Hamas recruitment program. Not as strong as Harvard though.
.
Brown is a target but you can’t simply throw in a resume and assume you’ll get the roles you want. This applies to every school in the entire world. The average student at Harvard or Wharton isn’t miraculously landing one of the very few BX spots just for going to a school. If you can’t break in from Brown, it’s on you and not the school.
Went to Brown in the late-2010s. Back then, blind resume drops landed me (and a lot of my buddies) interviews at most firms that went to campus and even a few that didn’t (like Qatalyst, Evercore, etc.).
Not sure if recruiting has changed significantly in the last 5 years or so, but it was honestly a breeze back then due to lack of relative competition / student interest.
Student at Brown here who finished recruiting and it’s much much harder now. Got into several peer schools to Brown and have friends who went to those peer schools that found it much easier to recruit than I did.
Senior at Brown here - congrats on your acceptance. Echoing the above. People that want to break into the field and put in the work tend to succeed - don't let the occasional Brown hate on wso discourage you. We usually have a fairly strong GS IBD pipeline, whereas MS prefers to hire for AM/PWM rather than IB out of Brown from what I heard.
Can highlight that a couple new finance clubs were founded in recent years, incl. Quant Trading @ Brown, Private Equity Club, Bruno Finance Society. So while the % of the student body interested in finance is definitely lower than elsewhere, you can find your crowd. As the another poster noted, BIG (Brown Investment Group), SRIF (Socially Responsible Investment Fund), and VWV (Van Wickle Ventures) are the most established names. Can't go wrong with any of these.
Alumni are very responsive.
Feel free to dm with any specifics questions.
This has already been discussed.
Would rather work with a non target from Alabama State than someone from Brown.
Both carry non target syndrome but at least the girl from Alabama State is probably dumber, has a better personality, and is sluttier/has sluttier friends.
So there ya go - Alabama State is more of a target than Brown.
Okay Alabama, you are hired!
so columbia it is
Columbia 11/10 times. Stronger school (core curriculum, etc.), and prime location. The proximity to Columbia Business School also a plus (MBA placement).
Purely from a recruitment perspective, Columbia does indeed win on just about every front. The alumni network is stronger, and being able to do in-person coffee chats and the like is really helpful.
That being said, the college experience is about much more than recruitment - you want to enjoy these 4 years, especially if you're going into a demanding finance career right after. The two schools are culturally opposite to each other (open vs core curriculum, "learning for learning's sake" vs career-oriented, collaborative vs competitive), so chances are - if you're a good fit for one of them, you wouldn't be a great fit for the other.
As I said earlier - people who take recruiting seriously at Brown tend to do well, so I don't think your opportunities would be limited if you come here. Obviously I'm biased, so take with a grain of salt.
If your end goal is to break into finance, Columbia is a much better target (arguably on par with Yale/Princeton due to NYC location). However, I personally wouldn't want to spend my 4 UG years in NYC... have the rest of my life to live in the city (others might disagree).
I chose Brown over Columbia, Cornell, and Penn CAS back in the day, and absolutely loved my time. If I hadn't gotten into Brown, I probably would've chosen Cornell/Penn over Columbia as well. All Ivies are target schools (some more than others), but if you aren't able to break in from any of them (as well as other top schools like Duke, UChicago, etc.), then it's a "skill issue" as the Gen Z would say.
I was also worried about whether my school would give me a shot at top finance firms. Honestly, it’s less about the school and more about what you do with your time there. I focused on getting internships and joining finance clubs, which really helped. And yeah, balancing everything was tough, so I used https://edubirdie.com/ to help with my classes. That gave me more time to focus on networking and building my resume.
GPT response
Congrats on heading to Brown! It’s true that Brown might not be the top target for finance compared to schools like Wharton or Harvard, but it's still a solid choice.
Laudantium neque temporibus similique sequi. Provident labore quis magnam error perspiciatis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Totam minus veniam distinctio qui ut. Iste esse quaerat ut est quis autem dolor. Et est nemo molestiae fugit.
Id quo omnis ut non dolores. Ullam sit odit maxime expedita. Perspiciatis repellendus velit animi asperiores et et perspiciatis eveniet.
Sint voluptatibus et voluptas sed. Aspernatur sint exercitationem facere asperiores sint eius. Quia enim itaque repudiandae ut corrupti cupiditate recusandae. In sit eos facere dolorem cupiditate earum. Non sit voluptas voluptas.
Laudantium molestias ducimus eum quasi velit nihil et veniam. At tenetur est officia vel id sequi tenetur. Suscipit et non corporis ex facilis nisi. Vero dolorem et quas.