NYU Stern vs WashU Olin vs Berkeley LS Econ

After EDing Wharton, I got my ass rejected from every ivy league. So these are my top choices: 
NYU Stern: 90k

WashU Olin: 25k

Berkeley LS Econ: 35k


I've always wanted to live in a big city however (NYC mostly, but partial to SF) and I'd hate living in the midwest, especially in St Louis, a small city that's so far from everything else. So my question is: which school would be the best for me if I'm aiming to enter investment banking/finance? Also, if money is a factor, there's a chance that I might match aid at NYU so also keep that in a separate opinion. And even if I went to full pay at NYU, while it might strain family finances for a bit, we won't go into debt. 

 
Most Helpful

I would not consider Wash U. Don't think many firms recruit there and most people haven't even heard of them. +1 on your thoughts on St Louis and midwest as well

Whether you want Berkeley or NYU, that's up to you. Cal was a great experience though not everybody has a good one and likes it. You have some school spirit and a (shitty) football team which NYU does not offer. You probably would get more help at NYU for your career since many of the resources on campus at Cal involve clubs and can be difficult to get in to. You don't have to be in one though, it just helps to be connected with like minded people.

As for finance/IB, firms definitely recruit from Cal, especially out of SF. Same thing for NYU, but it's obviously geared towards NYC firms. I wouldn't necessarily choose one school or the other simply based on whether you want to be there full time or not since you can swap pretty easily (go to Cal --> work in NYC) as long as you have a good reason in interviews

Berkeley is still 20-30 min from SF proper so keep that in mind. However, if you're dead set on finance/banking, you will likely work in one of those 2 big cities anyways and then you'll have your city experience. Lots of Cal kids go to NYC but not sure how many NYU kids go to SF though I'm sure it wouldn't be hard given academics/reputation. 

Unless your family is loaded, I'd be hard pressed to make my family pay an extra ~240k when I could theoretically get the same job at both of the schools and that's the deal breaker for me

 

Unde eaque sed eius alias. Officiis harum blanditiis ad. Explicabo molestias nihil voluptas sunt molestiae vel praesentium.

Sed perferendis ratione dolor sed aliquid deleniti. Ut doloremque aut veritatis est. Et et deleniti numquam omnis.

Vitae quo ab est dolorum sit harum. Sint magnam ad ullam tempora. Consectetur voluptas eligendi hic dolorum ducimus voluptas temporibus esse. Reiciendis in quisquam necessitatibus et et vero ut. Quia quia ut magnam tempora sed quas rerum. Eum quo distinctio possimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”