Sewanee (University of the South) vs. a big in-state school like Alabama or Auburn?

To preface, I was a pretty good high school student that has great test scores and a terrible junior year. I have a 33 on my ACT and I would have had well above a 4.0 GPA had I not gotten a terrible F (in band of all classes!). I've applied to semi targets such as Tulane, UVA, and WashU, but the chances are greatly in favor of me not being admitted to any of them. That leaves me with two possible options: I can go to a large state school like Alabama which has a very large alumni base, or I can go to a smaller liberal arts school like Sewanee that has a very affluent student base and great possibilities for networking. I am wondering which would be better for me to attend if I am hoping to break into IB in some way. I have large scholarships to both, so money should not be an issue.

P.S.

I'm aware that my best bet is probably transferring after maintaining a high GPA, this is purely in the case that I chose not to for whatever reason.

 

Probably instate school because it'll be a lot chiller, I don't really see any benefit in going to Sewanee. If you want to break in it would be best to transfer anyway.

 

I agree on the chiller front, and Alabama has a huge Greek life presence which intrigues me. Sewanee, though, does rank top 10 for internships and top 20 for alumni networks as per the Princeton Review. I think I would enjoy the culture there too. I probably shouldn't put much stock in those rankings though, I just thought that those aforementioned alumni networks could be helpful.

 

> does rank top 10 for internships and top 20 for alumni networks as per the Princeton Review

It says its based off student opinions and honestly most of the schools on the list are total jokes so I wouldn't take it seriously at all. I feel like networking is really more of a numbers game and you need to network with people where you want to be for it to work. 

 
Most Helpful

Sewanee would give you a better shot than Bama if an only if you use the network. It’s one of the better academic schools in the SAA. The alumni is full of extremely rich old white people who come from generational southern wealth. If you use the network, I’d be schocked if you wouldn’t get into IB. Might not be a BB, but def could hit regional schools.

Bama would be much more fun and the experience would be night and day. I graduated from a large SEC school and only started partying my junior year but it was insane. I wasn’t in a frat and never went to frat parties and still was able to party every weekday if I wanted. Bama would be a hell of a time, but you’d be hard pressed to find a banking job. Could definitely land a at regional bank if you make good grades and have good internships.

 

Fascinating. So Sewanee would probably be better, but only if I network like crazy and make use of all of the connections the school offers (as I should do at any school). I'll throw another question at you: I've also applied to Rensselaer and it's likely I get in due to a family member's donations, do you think that their Lally School of Management would also be a good option due to it's location in New York (state)? It seems to be rising in rankings and is starting to make a name for itself, at least from what I've seen online.

 

How are you going to put UVA with tulane and WashU bro smh

 

Great points all around. I went to Sewanee and now work at a well known middle market valuation shop after a 1.5 year stint elsewhere. So not IB but kind of close. Alumni are great but I wouldn’t oversimplify this choice, Sewanee is a small school in the middle of nowhere. I loved it but it’s very different from Tuscaloosa so I would look into that too. Also what do you want your major to be? Sewanee doesn’t have a direct business degree so something to also consider. Just my thoughts.

Feel free to dm me if you want, happy to talk more about it more.

 

Recusandae impedit officiis atque nostrum cupiditate facilis id. Repellat omnis non impedit. Eaque accusamus vitae id veritatis et dicta quo.

Sapiente quisquam dolorem nulla aliquid iusto blanditiis quam. Eos nihil velit sapiente eveniet laudantium ratione voluptates. Sunt repudiandae accusamus ut et accusantium. Qui sed illo voluptates accusamus ipsam sint libero. Quo asperiores suscipit blanditiis possimus quia nisi exercitationem in.

Occaecati itaque ipsum nam iure. Vero cupiditate at sint blanditiis fugiat mollitia deleniti et. Amet dicta assumenda nulla at reiciendis quo recusandae neque. Vitae odit consequuntur in ab.

Et debitis quo sunt quia minima. Possimus quisquam dolor sunt fugiat tempore aut sunt. Voluptas et voluptatem pariatur ut et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

December 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lincoln International 01 99.6%
  • Lazard Freres (++) 99.1%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.7%
  • William Blair 12 98.3%
  • Financial Technology Partners 02 97.9%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

December 2023 Investment Banking

  • William Blair 04 99.6%
  • Lincoln International 10 99.1%
  • Moelis & Company 25 98.7%
  • Stephens Inc 11 98.3%
  • Jefferies & Company 08 97.8%

Professional Growth Opportunities

December 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lincoln International 01 99.6%
  • Lazard Freres 17 99.1%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.7%
  • Financial Technology Partners 06 98.3%
  • UBS AG 16 97.8%

Total Avg Compensation

December 2023 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (6) $592
  • Vice President (34) $390
  • Associates (167) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (15) $187
  • 2nd Year Analyst (106) $168
  • Intern/Summer Associate (48) $167
  • 1st Year Analyst (322) $166
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (234) $95
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
pudding's picture
pudding
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”