Undergraduate- Stern vs. USC vs. UC- Berkeley
I'm deciding between NYU Stern and USC Marshall and UC Berk, but I really do not know what to do. Stern and Berkeley are more prestigious than USC. As for Berkeley, I am not guaranteed to Haas.
However, USC's social scene, sports, and campus all appeal to me tremendously, and I would definitely be happier at SC.
Would it be a mistake if I go to USC over Stern or UC Berk? Stern is arguably one of the best for finance, as it is right in NYC. And UC Berk is the most prestigious school overall of those, and I hear that prestige is huge in recruiting, especially for undergraduate.
* I do want to end up working on the East Coast, but would going to USC make that goal just even harder to achieve?
If you want to end up working on the East Coast, go Stern man. USC chicks though, damn hot.
I'd say that if you're in Berk, you'd be still having opportunities to re-enter USC Marshall & NYU Stern. but if you do not choose Berk, you probably have 0 chance for Haas.
After all, you should realize that Berkeley is #1 public for so many years; also it is definitely more flexible in job location than Stern or Marshall.
Not to steer your decision about Berkeley, but you should think about more factors
Can I go wrong with any of these choices? I dislike Stern the most out of everything, and love USC the most. Just concerned with USC's uncertain reputation among recruiters because I feel like its old reputation of just being a sports/party school still lingers.
I'm basically saying some facts here; your thoughts are more important 1. NYU/USC are no way bad schools. But I won't list it as top-tier. Berkeley is--It's synonymous to Ivy for me. 2. I asked you to think about more factors--for example, aid package, post-UG location, or things like if you like campus in the metro or a more rural campus, alumni network (Berkeley gets all UCal 10 school's network) and anything that you can think of--including the vibrancy of campus blah blah (but I'll say that campus life is the most useless factor after you graduate!) 3. Strictly, You could always go wrong with the choices--if you find you don't like it as much, which hurts your motivation and hurts your profile during recruiting. However, if you think A LOT MORE, and make an informed decision, stick with it and you can be much better off with leaving only little factors in concern
Berkeley seems to make the most sense here, gives you california and is a target. i can definitely see the appeal of usc but think recruiting is very west coast centric over there. don't go to stern.
Why not Stern? I hear such great things about it except for the cutthroat environment.
But what if I attend Berkeley and end up not getting into Haas, I would prob def regret not just attending USC since its guaranteed business school there for 4 years. You think USC is the safe choice?
To be honest, it comes down to a couple things: what do you think your GPA will be / what kind of student are you?
Speaking from a high level (and generalizing), if you're an average 3.5/3.6-ish student with an OK ability to professionally network, you're better off at Stern if you want to end up in NY. The number of internship opportunities in NY will help offset a lower GPA during recruiting season. If you're a top student able to get a 3.8+, well then I guess we can assume you can get into Haas. At that level, you're going to be competing with a bunch of 3.9+ kids (especially at Haas and Stern) for those banking positions and will need to differentiate yourself somehow (either professionally and socially). This is where I think USC has a leg up (campus and student life is tremendous and if you're a cool dude it's easy to get involved). At the high end of the GPA range, it will go Haas = Stern > Marshall for NY banking opportunities (I am keeping in mind that you want to be in NY). It's doable from USC too but you'll likely need to have strong extra-curriculars and network well; alternatively, you can go to a west coast office for a year, do well, and then ask for a transfer.
I hope I don't get flamed here - I know these are generalizations and may go against popular opinion. Just how I see things. Know the situations at all three schools relatively well.
Side note: I personally believe if you can crush academics, go to USC and enjoy what it has to offer you from a student life perspective while not having to sacrifice career opportunities. That said, you never know if you're actually able to achieve a certain academic standard, and that risk falls solely on you.
going to stern just seems like an awful experience from what ive heard - cutthroat environment, being forced to intern during the year to be competitive, and being poor in nyc.
you can get IB/MBB jobs from berk and to a lesser extent USC. it doesnt seem like youre dying to live in nyc right now so i dont see why stern makes any sense.
If you want to go to USC, then just go there. If you are good, you can get a good job from any of those schools. Don't discount the fact that you may want to do something or live somewhere entirely different in 4 years, so choosing a school solely on investment banking recruiting in NY might not be the best criteria.
I have worked in IB in SF Bay Area for the last 5 years. I see so many successful and talented kids coming from UC Berkeley these days. I would personally go there for the career and networking opportunities. USC would be my second choice. It is a great school and there are tons of alumni in IB/PE/IM on the west coast. Great student experience, career opportunities, sports teams and network. However, UC Berkeley students have a leg up career wise.
I've always thought about USC and UCLA as an interesting pair--UCLA Anderson has a better MBA ranking and USC is a private. which one is better? (or which one is stronger in business areas?)
Ha! Shuang is fixated on the fact USC is private. USC is a great school dude but you can't buy prestige. UCLA is unquestionably the better school academically and is the more prestigious institution no matter how "public" it is. I don't want you to think I am picking on USC intentionally. I am not USC is a great school! I would pick it over 98% of the schools in the world but UCLA>USC no matter how you slice it.
What is your opinion on Stern? How difficult would it be for a Berkeley or SC student to get back to the East Coast - would he/she have to be top of the class?
Same situation: USC or Stern? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like Stern is MUCH more prestigious than USC Marshall.
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