UMich vs Notre Dame

I'm currently debating between UMich and Notre Dame for my undergrad with an investment banking career path, but I'm unsure what the correct step is. Based on past posts on the forum, people seem to say UMich is better but I'm unsure why that would be? I looked at their respective career outcomes and Notre Dame Mendoza seems to be just as good, if not better, than UMich Ross. ND placed 3 times more to GS (15 to 5),  3 more people to BofA, the same amount to JPM, and just 2 less to MS. On top of that, ND places very well to elite boutiques, including 5 to Evercore, 3 to Lazard and Moelis, and a couple others to Greenhill and PJT. They also send a couple to the buyside, including 4 to Blackstone. 
 
Beyond that, UMich requires you to be in ultra competitive clubs for recruiting whereas ND is lauded for their alumni network. Am I missing something here? Why is UMich considered such an easy favorite over ND with all of this in mind?

8 Comments
 
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Both are great schools. Umich benefits from strength in numbers… if you can get into the top clubs, you are a target since it’s pretty selective.

ND is a smaller school where everyone knows each over. As a result, everyone is rooting for each over and there is less competition to get into various clubs/positions.

You can’t go wrong with either.

 

Umich recruits HEAVILY at boutique firms over bulge brackets and this years numbers even with the market are much higher than ND's. Either school is great it seems to be a more of a preference of experience (EB/BB) and probably a difference recruiting timelines as well. something to also note is that umich recruiting class is much smaller than it seems as its mostly ross kids and not umich class as a whole

 

cmonkey4

Umich recruits HEAVILY at boutique firms over bulge brackets and this years numbers even with the market are much higher than ND's. Either school is great it seems to be a more of a preference of experience (EB/BB) and probably a difference recruiting timelines as well. something to also note is that umich recruiting class is much smaller than it seems as its mostly ross kids and not umich class as a whole

 

I'm currently trying to make this decision as well. Which school did you end up choosing? I'm leaning toward Ross because I'm in-state and would be cheaper, but I feel I fit in with the Notre Dame vibe more.

 

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