LSE vs Columbia vs Oxford vs Wharton

For undegraduate what is the best choice for finance/start ups given that I could bolster my chances by applying ED. I know HYSP seems too idealistic so I am applying to these. 

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This is a flawed question tbh. These are two different countries with different recruiting practices. If you want to work in London, Oxford would be the best bet but its marginal when compared to LSE. In the states, Wharton would be better than Columbia.

 
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Please don’t compare Oxford to HYPS.

Oxford is obviously a great school but Oxford and Cambridge have 20% acceptance rates. I know you can’t apply to both but as an American, you can get in with a couple of 5s on APs and a decent SAT score. It’s a much smaller ask than the shit you have to do for Ivies these days.

This is coming from someone who got into Cambridge but chose an Ivy because placement within the US is way better (I also got placed in one of the very worst colleges - it was placed terribly on that one college ranking, had a ton of grad students, and the buildings looked like shit).

 
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In the UK you can only apply to 5 universities, that's it. There's no way someone who knows they won't get in or even is pretty sure they won't get in will ever apply. In the US you have a few reach universities when you apply, in the UK you have at most 1

Also, for Oxbridge you have to apply in October so only the people who are really gunning for these two universities will actually apply because most other people aren't ready. If you look at acceptance rates all UK unis have high acceptance rates.

As someone who "got into Cambridge" you should really know all of these things

 

I profoundly disagree with your Cambridge take. It is extremely hard to get into Cambridge for courses like Economics, Land Economy, HSPS, Mathematics and Natural Sciences for example. However it is less competitive to get in for courses like Classics. Overall, it is still hard very very hard to get in. College choice for Oxbridge does not really matter unless you go to one of the mature colleges but even then it does not matter. I cannot comment for HYSP but I know for a fact that Oxbridge is top rated not just in the United Kingdom and Europe but around the world too. 

 

The difference between Oxford and LSE is not "marginal". One is universes ahead of the other.

 

For recruiting its not really a big deal. Plenty of kids from both get shunned for non targets in London anyway. If you're talking about academic reputation then... yeah there's a big difference. But then the same could be argued about Harvard/Yale and Oxbridge anyway....

 

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