Vandy or Notre Dame for MSF decision help

I was recently admitted into both Notre Dame's MSF (Not the Chicago one) and Vanderbilt's MSF. I am stuck deciding between the two. 

Here is what I am weighing for both:

Notre Dame: 

  • $35,000 scholarship
  • Smaller class size
  • More quant heavy 
  • New, no proven success in getting into IB in New York. (I talked with admissions and they said they did not know anyone from the program who was going into IB after graduation for the current year)
  • Parents will pay for it all

Vanderbilt:

  • Expensive as hell ($80,000) 
  • Proven success for getting people into IB in NYC
  • Much more established
  • More prestigious school
  • I will have to take out a $30,000 loan + use $20,000 in savings to pay for it, the rest will be paid for by my parents.

Is the Vandy program that much better? With the Notre Dame program, there seems to be so much more uncertainty that I could get into IB right after graduation. 

Any information or advice is much appreciated. 

 

I got waitlisted because I didn't have any professional experience. I applied to all the IBs and PEs in my city until I got an internship. I then had to meet with a career coach at Vandy and have a discussion about my career interests and how I think I will be able to achieve these interests which wasn't too stressful. What I think also helped was that I emailed the admissions person twice a week for two months giving updates and restating interests. What I have heard is if you have average stats + a good internship you would be an easy admit.

 

Labore dignissimos deleniti facere maiores. Rerum sit ab beatae ad ad possimus assumenda.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 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

April 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

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”