UVA or Cornell?

So I am at city college right now and killed it there with a 4.0 and am fortunate enough to receive offers of admission as a transfer student for next Spring to both UVA & Cornell. I got in Pre-comm for UVA (opportunity to apply to Mcintire) and Hotel for Cornell. I am completely unsure on which to choose as I don't have any insight on the comparability of the two colleges and their designated fields of study and exactly how well they can generate internships with a 3.5+ GPA. Will I have an easier time getting SA IB internships at Cornell simply because it's an ivy, or is Mcintire at UVA far more impressive than a hospitality driven education with a fancy college name?

76 Comments
 

Because banks don't give a shit about what your major is. If you demonstrate interest through clubs, and take relevant classes, you'll be fine. Hotel school places really well into real estate, and it's decent with IB. However, you also need to take into account that not a lot of hotel kids actually want to go into IB. A lot of them want to do real estate, or do something related to hospitality.

 
Controversial

Neither of these are target programs, so there's probably no major advantage to either. They're both great schools. I was in a similar position. I was in a target-ish school. Most banks recruited there, but not like Wharton or CBS.

If it were me, knowing what I know now, just pick the one where you'll learn the most, enjoy the campus, have the highest GPA, extra curriculars, etc. I think of this like NCAA to NFL transition. Sure, 'Bama, LSU, Notre Dame, FL, OSU, USC, etc. will have high representation in the NFL, but Utah, Cincinnati, Boston College, Purdue, Fresno State, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan (so much Michigan), etc. have representation in the NFL. Those guys just had to work harder to get noticed. So you just know that going in. You're going to have to work harder to get recruited.

Also, maybe spend some time at the education school of your chosen university and find a potential wife because you won't have much time when you start in IB.

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vince Lombardi
 

My friend, all BB/EB recruit for Mcintire. That is definitely a target. Not a super target like HYPSW, but definitely a target. 40% of Mcintire alumni reported to be in IB, PE. HF.

 

You need to also consider that you might not want to do IB. What if you decide you like consulting more? That's why I think it's important to choose a school you think you would enjoy the best.

 

Honestly, both are excellent. I think Cornell places slightly better. UVA might offer a better undergrad experience (better weather for sure) but Cornell is an Ivy and it offers a rich alumni network to both itself and other Ivies through Ivy exclusive clubs and events. If neither offers you a scholarship, I'd choose Cornell in a heartbeat. But if Virginia offers you money, go there.

 

One of my roommates at UVA was a junior year transfer to McIntire. He seemed to have no problems getting interviews for SA positions in IB, although I think he ended up going into consulting. Just one data point to consider. My personal experience is that UVA alumni are great and pretty passionate about the school. It's always interesting seeing all the places UVA alumns turn up.

I can't say anything about Cornell other than it has a great reputation in the working world as well. I don't know anything about the hotel school in particular.

 

Well of course. Expecting a guaranteed BB IB offer is not an expectation for anyone. I don't quite agree with UVA recruiting being decent to mixed. My best friend had a 3.8 from Mcintire and got multiple EB and 1 BB offer. He mentioned most who had that type of GPA ended up very well. 40% of Mcintire alumni end up in IB, HF, PE, as per the destination reports. I just wanted to know if Cornell would be even better since it's an Ivy

 

I don't know why so much debate. Both of them will get you IBD interviews. I will focus working on your interviews.

 

I will personally go to UVA. You will definitely not have problem for your recruiting. I don't know if people will hire someone who goes to Cornell for hotel. I will personally go to UVA because, it's a safer bet. UVA is ranked pretty high, their business school Darden is ranked a lot higher than Cornell Johnson. Lastly, I believe UVA offers better financial aid package.

 

An important thing to consider is transferring between schools at Cornell is quite easy, not sure how exactly that works for transfer students. Worth looking into, because many other programs at Cornell (econ, AEM) place very well into IB.

 

There is some truth to @AtticuSFincg" comment, but it is also underplaying the strength of McIntire recruiting. Yes, top banks are poaching only a few students, but that is true at any school. You wont have an analyst class at any bank where its 50% Wharton and then evenly distributed between other target schools. Top banks are also taking only a few students from Wharton (and the competition is more fierce there).

The comment also underplayed middle-market banks, particularly the strongest groups at those banks (Houlihan's RX group hires more McIntire than any other target, Raymond James' Tech & Services group takes a lot of McIntire kids too).

Where the comment has validity is that these banks are hiring the best of McIntire. These kids are usually very involved in the top 3 investment clubs (MII, VVF, AIF), networked heavily, and have high GPAs. McIntire places better and is regarded as a stronger target than Cornell but with that being said, you're still at risk transferring to UVA pre-comm. Remember that it is still very competitive for UVA students getting into McIntire. If you're already admitted into the Hotel school at Cornell, it may be a smarter move to go there. Because outside of McIntire, UVA is not really a target.

Hope this helps.

 

I think the conclusion is that if you are good enough to get IB at UVA, you will be good enough to get IB at Cornell. One school may have a slight advantage, but that advantage is not going to be material enough to base your decision on.

It's like choosing between Car A and Car B. You know that historically, Car A has a 10% chance of failing in a year while Car B has a 9.5% chance of failing in 10 years. Are you going to choose Car B even though you enjoy driving Car A significantly more?

 

People telling you to study fucking hotel management at Cornell because "it's an ivy" are fucking retarded. UVA business school is obviously the way to go. It's like choosing back office at GS over FO at BMO because of the "prestige factor" of the name brand.

Go to UVA, learn finance, economics and accounting and break into IB. It's not hard and you'll have fun.

 

Look buddy, I personally know hotel students who have either interviewed or work at the following firms doing FO roles:

Moelis Evercore JPM GS Blackstone SIG DE Shaw PJT McKinsey Bain BCG BAML Deloitte S&O EY WF Citi

This isn't even close to the entire list, but just some companies off the top of my head. You aren't going to be limited by being a hotel student. Not telling you to choose Cornell, but I am telling you to ignore the retards that don't know anything about the hotel school.

Also, Cornell OCR is not school specific. You can be in the hotel school, a history major, or an econ major, doesn't matter...if you have a high gpa, relevant work experience, and you seem smart, you will get the interview.

 

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