Wharton/Princeton/Yale Undergrad
So here's the situation, I was recently admitted into Wharton, Princeton and Yale for my undergraduate studies and plan on pursuing a career in finance after graduation (IB,PE,HF). Until recently I was completely set that Wharton was my number one choice because it provides the best career opportunities, however, I have now read that some people put Princeton and Yale(less often than Princeton) above Wharton based on their pedigree.
I understand that all three will provide me with opportunities, but I wanted to know what people in the industry believe is the best school in terms of career opportunities. I want to know what recruiters think of each and whether Wharton, despite its business education, is considered less because it's not HYP.
I have a tough choice ahead and all of your comments are greatly appreciated. Career opportunities will not be my only deciding factor but I definitely want to consider it. Feel free to direct message me to talk more about this.
First of all, congratulations - that's quite an achievement. Personally, I would pick whichever school you feel you're going to fit in well at. Wharton might have an ever so slight edge in terms of the diversity/number of companies that recruit from its undergraduate program, but this edge doesn't outweigh cultural fit (in my opinion, anyways). Assuming you perform well at each, you will have numerous opportunities when it comes to finance and other career paths from each of these schools. Follow your heart!
Congrats! I would say Princeton.
Don't stress over this. I would pick whatever gives you the best fit. There will be some companies that recruit only for Y/P/W and not PW/YW/YP no matter which you pick. The vast majority will recruit people from all 3. It can be tough to stand out at Wharton, and Princeton's grade deflation can make it tough to go in comparison against people from other schools (Wharton is also curved pretty strongly). That's my 2 cents.
Again, I want to emphasize that you can't make a wrong choice here, and to go wherever you find the best fit/connection.
The above comments hold true if you're interested in the general field of finance as all three schools will provide "numerous opportunities." That said, there are some groups out there that simply don't have a track record of hiring people from certain schools. Rather than list those groups and get shit on, do keep that mind, especially if you're interested in a few select groups that do have those hiring biases.
Based on my personal experience of interviewing at a number of top investment banks and buy-side firms, Wharton is easily the best represented out of the three. I'm sure self-selection is at least a partial reason for this, but make of this data point what you will. It would be reasonable to conclude that if you want to pursue a career in finance, going to Wharton will not disadvantage you relative to HYP.
Congratulations! I made the Harvard vs Yale vs Princeton choice a few years ago, so it's not exactly the same as you, but I'm happy to talk via private message if you want to hear about that. All three of your choices have good finance recruiting - honestly, if you work hard and get good grades, you'll be in a good place for recruiting.
IMO you should just go to the school you think you'd enjoy the most. Wharton arguably has the best finance opportunities, but it will also be the most competitive and you'll be going to class with a bunch of gunners. Princeton is probably the most prestigious, but you have to deal with grade inflation and whatnot. Yale isn't really known for being a finance hub at all (not to say that the banks don't recruit there). It's pretty much a wash between them and you should just go where you fit in the best.
Wharton would be best for finance. However, you may find the culture at Yale to make for a better overall college experience. So its really up to you as to what you value more.
Should probably avoid Wharton, since suicide is inevitable there.
I faced a very similar situation to you. PM me if you want more information.
Totally disagree that it's not a clear choice or that Wharton would be the best. Princeton (preferably) or Yale. Wharton is not on the same level. It's a great school, but its not.
if you go to princeton or yale, what would you major in? Econ?
if you are really interested in finance, I would go with Wharton. Nothing is worse than spending 4 years of college taking courses / majoring in something that is 1) uninteresting to you, 2) not practical to your desired industry, 3) highly theoretical, and 4) tough to get top gpa in.
Econ is very theoretical and not practical at all. I am not saying Econ majors from those top schools won't break into top jobs. It's just that if you really like finance, you will enjoy the academic experience at Wharton that much more. (by being able to study finance and learning 'practical' knowledge)
1) he never said he wasn't interested in economics 2) after finance or accounting, economics would probably be the most relevant major possible 3) that depends on the school 4) are you saying it would be easier to get a better GPA at Wharton where literally everybody is competing for a Wall Street gig 5) kids who studied art history/gender studies have gotten through recruiting and placed at BB's. There's a reason why training for SA positions is a week long. 6) since they don't have established finance majors, Yale and Princeton most likely have courses designed for kids who want to learn 'practical knowledge' and get into finance.
7) there are many, many things that are worse than going to Yale or Princeton and studying Economics
Yale, go to the school where you'll get the highest GPA
Definition of splitting hairs. All great schools. I'd personally opt in favor of preserving the most optionality, but only you can gauge how certain you are that finance is your path. Congrats!
Princeton will set you up for life regardless of what you do. Yale will be the easiest and will give you the highest GPA. Wharton/Penn will be the best for finance and work/life balance.
If I were you I'd begrudgingly choose Princeton, but you will meet a lot of stuffy and snotty people there.
This is hard to answer without knowing how intelligent you are. If you're actually someone who is smart enough to get top of the class at Wharton, then HF/PE opportunities at top shops (BX, Silver Lake, KKR, TPG) will exist, opportunities which are not as prevalent at the other schools mentioned (I believe Silver Lake for instance only recruits undergrads from Harvard or Wharton). Otherwise, Wharton (also Princeton with its grade deflation/curves) is pretty competitive, and if you don't have the confidence that you'll do exceedingly well there, maybe a school like Yale would be best.
BX didn't do on campus recruiting at Yale or Princeton when I worked there (but you can submit resumes online), just Harvard and Wharton
Undergrad at P; BX recruits here now, although not sure if it's only for PE.
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