[Undergrad] NYU Stern vs Rutgers Honors College for Quant/Data Sci Career

What I Want to do Currently a STEM savvy senior here deciding between the two schools. As a career, I think I want to be a quant at a hedge fund or data scientist at a big tech company (obviously that's the ideal situation). Will likely major & minor in some variation of Comp Sci/ Physics/ Math/ Chem. Unsure of whether I want to further pursue a masters or PhD at the moment but definitely open to it and willing if it can place me somewhere that justifies the amount of work put in.

Predicament Currently, I am deciding between NYU Stern and Rutgers Honors College. Stern- Cost of attendance around 68k per year after scholarships. Parents can help but will likely have to take out a loan for last year. Will attend Stern for Data Science and possibly major/minor in Statistics. Rutgers- Honors College with cost of attendance around 15k a year. Will graduate with no debt and would likely try to apply for transfer (will get to later). Major in Comp Sci and potentially minor in Physics, Chem or math.

I feel like I might not fit in at NYU and would feel alienated at Rutgers. Regardless, I am eager to give it all in my classes to hope for a transfer success to somewhere I might enjoy myself more (UPenn, Cornell, Dartmouth). My fear is that if I were to attend NYU, it might be harder to transfer because it seems most colleges like taking from a state college (albeit, it's also gambling on the transfer idea which I really am hoping for). On the other hand, NYU provides a good base if transfer doesn't work out (likely as transfer rates are low). Rutgers Honors College is pretty solid but not as good as Stern. However, if I attend Rutgers then I know I will have the financial resources to obtain a higher degree. I believe that I will be able to academically thrive at Rutgers. I know the idea of transfer is very risky, but I truly believe that my academic performance has only gone up since the start of high school and will continue in college(bad start to high school so GPA tanked).

So, I truly would appreciate any help/insight someone could give as to which choice will serve as the best springboard into my career.

2 Comments
 
 

Natus enim tempore labore nemo nulla quis rerum. Voluptates quaerat voluptas sint autem. Quod sint iste reiciendis vero.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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

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...”