UChicago vs Georgetown Undergraduate

Hi WSO!

How would you rank UChicago, Georgetown undergrad for IB and consulting recruiting? It would be great if you could also add some reasons why one school might be better than the other. I've heard that UChicago and Georgetown have the same pre-professional vibe with a big campus emphasis on finance and hyper-competitive clubs. Would you say one of these schools is easier to get high-profile analyst jobs than the other (are they both target schools)? Or are the difficulty levels similar and you're ability to land internships depends more on what you do in college?

Also, in the long run, is there much of a difference if you went to UChicago, or Georgetown, or even Harvard/Penn for undergrad in your future career? At what point do employers not look at where you went to undergrad? Will recruiters look at your undergrad and say oh this person went to Harvard and this person with to UChi/Gtown so let's hire the Harvard dude.

 

Once you're in the upper echelon of schools, it's more about what you do with it. Obviously Harvard is 'better' than Georgetown/UChicago, but for the most part your opportunities will be similar. I do think there is some validity to the HYPSM (a HYPSM is definitely better than a non HYPSM school like Georgetown or Cornell or UChicago), but in reality a lot of success is what you make of it, because plenty of T25 and HYPSM grads end up in positions that they could've gotten from a less prestigious school.

Honestly I always say this- when deciding between schools of similar caliber, just go with the one you like better from a social/fit perspective. Because it will be easier to make friends, network, and have fun in a school you didn't just go to because it had a 1% higher placement rate into some bank.

 
Most Helpful

I’m going to Stanford next year so am unbiased toward Georgetown / UChicago.

I say go to Georgetown for both your career goals -- and for the college experience of being in DC vs. Chicago

Georgetown places much higher than UChicago for IB; UChicago places only slightly better for PE (only for directly out of undergrad, though).

Here’s some data from "Peak Frameworks" best schools for IB/PE (WSO wouldn't let me paste the links; you should Google this):

  • Best schools for IB (out of undergrad):
    • Georgetown crushes UChicago with 171 vs. 120
  • Best schools for PE (out of undergrad):
    • UChicago wins slightly over Georgetown with 10 vs. 8

BUT given that a) Georgetown has much better IB placement and b) PE firms target IB Analysts, your chances for PE from Georgetown seem much better.

Also, DC seems like a more fun college town than Chicago. Being in the capital and having interaction with all the other schools sounds amazing. And when I visited both schools, I thought the Georgetown area was beautiful. Chicago seems dangerous.

But remember, it depends on where you think you would enjoy your time most. Over the long term, both are great universities. It's a win-win dilemma!

 
Funniest

Neque velit debitis excepturi impedit est. Ea voluptatem voluptatem ratione voluptatem unde. Et consequuntur eligendi libero. Est incidunt aliquam voluptates. Perspiciatis nesciunt rem est provident rerum.

Itaque ad rerum ut officiis voluptas. Est cupiditate voluptatem at occaecati ratione sit tenetur. Quaerat vitae ut aut aliquid odio.

Eaque maxime necessitatibus temporibus debitis adipisci. Ipsam architecto laboriosam qui esse cumque repudiandae deleniti. Quibusdam ad ex consequatur. Aut sit illo non iste in et placeat. Accusamus dolor sint molestiae velit voluptatem qui et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 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

March 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

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
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...”