School Selection: Columbia, Penn CAS, Williams, Georgetown SFS
RD decisions just came out and I was fortunate to get accepted to these schools and wanted some suggestions on where to go. For some context, I plan to pursue a major in history/econ/polisci and do either a pre-law or finance track (mostly pre-law though).
Below are some of the factors I’m considering:
- Academics & GPA: I want a good Humanities academic environment. I know Columbia’s Core system is great for this goal and Penn has a Philosophy, Policy, and Economics major that’s also great. However, beyond learning, I also want to take into account of the GPA at these schools because I am planning on going a pre-law track. I was wondering if I could get some insights on the grade inflation/deflation at these schools.
- School culture: I would prefer somewhere closer to a city but am also not averted to more rural areas. I just want to be in a place where there’s both hard-core academics but also tons of opportunity to have fun. What attracts me tons to Columbia is that its in NYC…
- Recruiting & Internship: I heard from some people that Penn’s recruiting culture and most of the internships are dominated by Wharton, and that other school’s have more flexibility in what you want to do. But Penn CAS might lend itself better for pre-law, and the potential to transfer to Wharton might be great for finance. I’d like to be somewhere where I can keep my options open for finance/pre-law and have advantages in both. I heard Columbia might be good because of the heavy recruiting that goes on in NYC. Georgetown SFS on the other hand I heard is fantastic for the pre-law/government track being Georgetown ofc and also I heard that finance recruiting is heavy in SFS as well. Essentially, I’m torn between these many options.
- *Particularly, for finance, I want to know the pipelines to top PEs/HFs, not just IB. I also wanted to know how competitive the clubs are and their culture.
I’ll probably also attend a couple of these college revisit days to see which environment I like better. But I’d love any suggestions or insights on these schools and how I should proceed to pick my choice.
Not reading all that, but basically all are great options. The difference between recruiting results from each is marginal. Just pick the school you like the most. Make the most of it and you should have no trouble landing a good offer from any of these schools.
Consider where you'd like to live, the kind of people you'd want to surround yourself with, and what the student experience is like (dorms/food/amenities/etc.). Some people like living in the middle of nowhere. I personally find that going to college in/near a major city is best. Most opportunities while you're in school (outside of just IB recruiting), easiest travel, most cultural experiences, etc.
Would echo the comment above, don’t over think it about the nuances of recruiting and which school gives you a 2% better chance of top buyside. They are all good schools, all the main firms recruit at them, the difference is really minimal. I’d think more about what experience you want in college. Columbia is such a different experience than Williams, they are almost incomparable. I picked a shittier Nescac than Williams over a public target school (Berkeley/UMich) and even tho people on here would say my NESCAC is far worse than the target, I went to a MF out of undergrad in a front office role that I would’ve never gotten if I went to a different school. If you are hardworking and smart, you will be fine no matter what school you go to. So focus on everything else, the culture campus community food partying etc..
If you are pre-law but still want to recruit for IB, Columbia. I am a Columbia grad and currently work at an EB and I am applying to law school this upcoming fall!
Aut voluptatem aut ut minus hic qui eum. Temporibus et voluptas commodi molestiae sunt. Voluptatem beatae praesentium et aut animi. Occaecati esse veritatis aut ab eum laudantium omnis. Perferendis quia nihil porro nostrum qui optio.
Voluptas atque molestiae accusantium rerum. Sint omnis error minus enim nostrum.
Ratione illo ratione est magni quo non. Quos dignissimos perspiciatis consequatur a. Vero laudantium debitis similique. Voluptatem sunt ullam incidunt dolorem exercitationem. Minima expedita repellat beatae ab qui velit. Maxime hic et voluptas voluptatem. Velit aut laborum numquam vel consequatur hic.
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...