MBA Choice - Stern vs. Darden for IB
I'm fortunate enough to receive offers from both Darden and Stern for their fulltime MBA program. I'm determined to transit into IBD in NYC for my post-MBA career, and I'm struggling to pick between these 2 programs. I'm intentionally hiding the scholarship information because I really prioritize the career recruiting opportunity(IBD) from an MBA over anything else. With that said, please ignore the school life differences between Charlottesville vs. NYC or the cost of living, etc... I want to gain as much inputs as possible in terms of the program selection, and I appreciate your insights. Below are some of my personal backgrounds:
- Big 4 consulting for 4 years and specialized in Insurance & Actuarial sector; so, very familiar with financial modelling, Excel, etc...
- Have some M&A projects experiences from the Valuation side and the Strategy side
- Asian Male and International Passport Holder, will need Sponsorship (I know this will be a key factor during the recruiting process)
- Though I was born outside the U.S, I've been studying in the State since highschool; so, I believe my communication/networking skills are on-par with my U.S peers'
With that said, I hope to learn which program will offer me a better chance to break into the IB industry? (Assuming I will try my best to work on networking and the recruiting process no matter which program I go)
Thank you!
Getting sponsored will be the biggest hurdle, so anything you can do to address it will help. Both get you where you want to go. Being in NY would make logistics easier, but Darden has solid results too. Where do you want to live for a couple years ? City or town
Tbh, I don't have a location preference because I can see myself living in either place. Then in terms of recruiting, are you suggesting that there is no difference between Darden and Stern for an IB job?
Stern
You can read the employment reports for both schools as they’re posted prominently online. Stern places a few percentage points more into IB than Darden does. I don’t think it’s a particularly meaningful as Darden clearly does well with IB placement too. Maybe there’s a slight benefit to being in NYC for business school if you want to do IB there after but again, I don’t know that it’s a really meaningful difference. I’d make the choice based on scholarship money and what vibe you want for your MBA since the schools are so different as lived experiences.
https://issuu.com/dardenreport/docs/2020-21_full-time_mba_employment_re…
https://www.stern.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/MBAEmplo…
For sure. I did research and looked into both reports and I really believe both schools have their advantages. So, I'm debating...
You have the rest of your life to live in NYC and you have two years to live in Charlottesville if that kind of college town environment appeals to you. You can recruit IB from Darden just fine. I think it really comes down to feel and fit.
Stern if your sole criteria is recruiting. Living in the city will help you build a better network
Got it. Thank you for sharing!
Hey, even i am considering the choice between darden and stern, being an international student too how likely are banks to sponsor ? I saw a few people from my university from India get placed in BB IB post stern mba, are these extremely rare cases or sponsorship is easy to come by ?
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