Stern or Dartmouth?
im a highschool junior deciding where to apply ED to next year. I want to become a PM at a largo LO or hedge fund. I’ve seen that Stern has amazing placement sell side but can’t find any graphs or data on placement buy side, and it is well known that the school is full of tryhards trying to constantly one up you, which is making me reconsider. Not sure how the finance environment is at Dartmouth ( clubs/ classes / rigor ) so any help would be appreciated.
Stern
Congrats on stern
haven’t gotten in yet lol. deciding where to apply ed next year but thank you
Some insecure person who only got into stern and has been incessantly posting comparison threads, hoping someone will make him feel good about going to stern
im a junior in highschool
You're in high school and you haven't even applied yet so the reality is it doesn't matter. In terms of general finance recruiting for the buy or sell side, an Ivy (except you Cornell kids) will usually be looked at more favorably than a non-Ivy with the exception of schools on par (or arguably better) like Stanford/MIT/UChicago. NYU Stern is not one of those schools, their big selling point is location thereby proximity to more of the funds you would be recruiting for so it's arguably easier to try and network.
Ivy > Stern
For sure
Both are good schools and won’t hold you back from any opportunities. If you’re accepted into both, you can’t go wrong.
That being said, going to college in a small college town is awesome. You and your classmates get really close. NYC will be there when you graduate. Getting that first job out of college is just the beginning of a 40+ year career, and you’ll do just fine coming from Dartmouth.
bump
Your time would be better spent optimizing your application to get into these schools first and then consulting with wso about the decision rather than posting when you're still a year away from even submitting the application
what should i do to optimize my app? my dads lined up internships in wealth management funds his friends own but idk if nepotism like that looks good on apps
Yeah I mean that's good but people often jump to extra curriculars and forget that for these top schools the expectation is to have perfect grades so make sure your gpa, rank, sat stuff is well in sterm dartmouth range. Also change your username from your actual name.
I'd value what kind of college experience you want first. Then, I'd argue Dartmouth has superior placement on average, but it's not like the difference between Wharton and like Nebraska.
Also, chances are you won't get into either school, much less both. Focus on getting the best possible college application first.
definitely dartmouth - much better alumni network, campus, social scene, and you probably will live in nyc after graduation, so why not spend 4 years of your life you’ll never get back in nature?
also, dartmouth’s brand name will hold weight in later stages of your career and alumni love that place in a way that only HYPSM alumni could.
Honestly, as everyone said, I think Dartmouth is way better, having gone to NYU in the College of Arts and Sciences and then transferred to Dartmouth (I didn't get accepted for the Stern internal transfer). But in my opinion, the fact that you're posting on WSO as a junior in high school with aspirations to become a PM leads me to believe that you would genuinely enjoy the cutthroat environment at Stern (I'm not being sarcastic). Dartmouth has no undergrad business school, while Stern offers one of the best UG programs in the nation. Like everyone else says, Dartmouth will be more fun, but only if you want to party and enjoy the 4 years. That name will take you far. But at Stern, people are extremely competitive and dedicate their lives to finance, and as a result, are very knowledgeable and passionate. I didn't like Stern kids, but I'm not representative of everyone. The average high-achieving Stern kid has multiple finance internships in NYC and learns so much about finance, which is great if that's what you wanna do. For an all-around college experience, definitely pick Dartmouth.
nice
Hey I'm currently trying to transfer out of NYU - can I pm you?
Hey man, I was in a similar dilemma a year ago and just finished the whole college applications process (probably going to commit/enroll at UChicago), so I think I can give you some perspective here from a more "similar" position.
First of all, there are two different questions here - the question of which school is "better" for finance, but also the question of which school to ED.
In response to the first question, I'd say Dartmouth would be a better choice overall based on my research of the two schools. Stern has higher volume of placement, but you want to look at it in terms of how much going to this school will boost your chances of breaking in at a top firm. Stern has a far greater pool of students hungry for finance, and therefore far higher internal competition. Dartmouth on the other hand is much smaller, has less internal competition, has a better collaborative spirit amongst students, and a better/more supportive alumni network. Not to mention, Dartmouth is generally considered to have a better college experience as well as prestige.
While all that is interesting, what really matters is which school you should ED. Stern ED is definitely lower risk than Dartmouth ED, so if you feel your application is strong (3.8+, 1500+, above average ECs) but not great (3.9+, 1540+, highly impressive ECs), you should go with Stern. If you're not as risk averse or are more confident than you will get into some other T10-15 schools early and regular, then go for Dartmouth. Always remember though that Stern EDII is an option.
Hope that helps
Thank you so much. I’ve heard from a Stern sophomore that 80% of the class if filled up ED1. My GPA is cursed (3.6) and i’m going to take the SAT this Saturday, but i’ve been scoring 1550+ on SAT practice tests. My ecs are typical, with a few internships obtained through nepotism and a nonprofit that does finance / college coaching virtually for students in India, and budgeting presentations for students in Colombia ( I’m half indian half colombian ). We also do budgeting and investment basics for low income schools in Los Angeles. In addition, I have a tutoring business that does around $3k/month revenue. around $500 profit. Where do you think I should aim? I failed a class freshman year, but since then my grades have been on an upwards trend with high rigor.
Of course take my advice with a grain of salt - I'm not a college counselor or anything.
With that being said, from what I see with your profile, the two main "traits" that stand out are business (nonprofit, budgeting and investment for schools, tutoring business, etc.) and global perspectives (your background and your nonprofit).
This, to me, seems like a great fit for what Stern looks for. Your GPA is a bit low, but if you've got a strong upward trends and a 1550+ SAT then you would probably be fine.
Again, I think you should be certain that the NYU college experience is something that appeals to you - if you want a central campus, a more collaborative student body, and generally a more traditional experience, then maybe you shouldn't ED there and do RD instead. But if that those points aren't important for you, ED is a good option imo
Stern
I didn’t go to either school but I have a ton of friends and family from both Dartmouth and Stern. Fully unbiased opinion here and I think Dartmouth is a no brainer.
Stern’s placement is significantly weaker on the buy side than the sell side, which you touched on. Dartmouth on the other hand is the complete opposite. I honestly don’t know why but I did my IB analyst stint at GS/MS/JPM and then moved over to a MF PE firm, so pretty large sample size here. There’s not a lot of available data out there but the data that is available is in favor of Dartmouth. Now if you said you wanted to be a career banker, I’d probably still say Dartmouth but Stern would still be a fantastic option.
Bit of an unpopular opinion here but I’m a huge advocate of going to the best overall school you can. You’re 16 or 17 with very limited working experience. You don’t know what your calling is or even what you like doing. Going to Dartmouth provides you more alternatives than going to Stern would. To give you an example, Georgia Tech is a stronger CS school than Cornell but you’d probably want to go to Cornell over Georgia Tech because then you have alternatives outside of CS/engineering (while still being able to pursue CS/engineering at Cornell). Dartmouth will provide you with a wider array of opportunities outside of finance than NYU would. HF work isn’t for everyone. It’s an extremely stressful environment and everyone I know who has lasted is extremely passionate about the markets, which I personally am not and could never be.
Final point, NYU isn’t fun, NYC is. It’s an important distinction. Most NYU students and alum will openly admit the school spirit sucks. There’s basically no sense of community and a lot of people feel isolated/lonely despite being surrounded by people. It’s hard to build close friendships in a huge school/city. In the later years, most people live off campus and basically only hang out with a select few people. There’s basically no NYU experience post-sophomore year. NYC is obviously great but the city will be there for you when you graduate.
Stern is obviously a great school but a LOT of people I know hated their time there so I’d be wary of that.
My brother went to Dartmouth for undergrad and Stern for an MBA. He didn't think much of Stern academically, and AFAIK doesn't keep up with any Stern classmates, although a very loyal Dartmouth alum. To be sure, he didn't like NYC much, got out as soon as he could.
As other commenters say, if you get into both Dartmouth and NYU, go Ivy, it's a no-brainer.
Both Stern and Dartmouth offer strong finance programs. Stern is known for its placement on the sell side, while Dartmouth's network and liberal arts approach provide unique opportunities. Reach out to current students for insights on clubs, classes, and rigor. Consider campus culture and personal fit when deciding.
Perspiciatis perspiciatis necessitatibus at quaerat sunt deserunt. Veniam libero dignissimos vel sunt explicabo ipsum. Voluptate quo dolore quos et quo libero. Animi voluptatum rem hic et asperiores odio. Odio enim doloremque dignissimos eum est. Adipisci esse eos soluta at autem.
Quo animi ipsam soluta sit minus. Aperiam inventore beatae qui quasi aut quo perferendis harum. Soluta pariatur atque rerum provident. Autem incidunt hic quis eos ducimus maxime.
Soluta est voluptas animi eos qui sint consectetur quibusdam. Molestiae illum quidem accusantium et. Commodi exercitationem veritatis aut voluptas at rerum omnis. Quis ea deserunt expedita voluptatum culpa saepe. Non autem corrupti perferendis odio. Eveniet dolorum sit voluptatem omnis vero in illo et.
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...
Pariatur expedita voluptatem eaque nostrum. Delectus numquam in ipsum inventore labore. Id temporibus magni enim commodi sequi. Quaerat repudiandae voluptatum saepe voluptas. Nesciunt magni molestiae deserunt et non. Fugit magni corrupti exercitationem incidunt magnam est facilis. Quia ut dignissimos reprehenderit quaerat fugit consequatur.
Maxime blanditiis quo voluptate repellendus. Dolores velit voluptatem veritatis recusandae dolore. Eligendi excepturi ipsum nemo qui et doloremque.
Et recusandae est facere. Animi dolor placeat suscipit voluptas accusamus. Dolor vel fugit iure necessitatibus eaque reiciendis perferendis eum. Quisquam non omnis nihil dolorum harum similique nesciunt.