Baruch or Binghamton for Undergrad
Hello everybody,
I'm a current high school senior who is going to be in college next year. I was accepted to both Baruch College and SUNY Binghamton, and now the problem lies in which school I should attend. One major issue is that I applied as an economics major so I am not in the business school for Binghamton. In Baruch you apply to the Zicklin school in your sophomore year, so getting accepted there should be no problem. In Binghamton, transferring schools is a difficult task as space is limited and competitive in the School of Management. The second issue is I received no financial aid from Binghamton and would have to pay 25k a year, with about half the cost being paid through loans. If I went to Baruch I would be able to pay it in full through cash.
My question is, which school would you recommend for me to attend given my situation?
Thank you for your help and guidance!
Baruch. Just use the search function you'll here plenty of responses about the school.
it's much easier than you think to transfer into bing's school of management. I know people with low gpas get in no problem (3.2 and below)
Baruch is better, no loans in your situation, in NYC so you can intern during school year. Only downside is the social scenes are polar opposites.
Like the last guy said, Baruch because you can intern during the year and networking will be much easier. This is assuming that IB is of course your goal. I wish I had thought about a career before getting to college. You're doing well man, props.
Binghamton. Better student body. Real campus feel.
You won't regret it.
Did you go to Binghamton? I can't imagine any other reason you would say this?
@bankerboy252" your time to shine.
You know me so well!
So, some quick comparisons between the two. 1. Baruch is ~7k a year, whereas Bing is ~25k a year. 2. Baruch is in the middle of NYC, whereas Bing is much further out. 3. Baruch is a commuter school, so you definitely lack a traditional movie-like "college experience," and Bing you'll have to dorm, so you get what you're looking for.
2-1. This stuff is just the basic face-value. Now for some real stuff--
Baruch is great on the Street. Not a traditional target. You can BS your entire way through school, slack, and be a teller at Chase at 35 (had one brag to me about this, no lie) or work hard and break into the real industry you want to be in. There are no OCR opps at either school. You need to network. Put simply, unless you're connected with a MD/partner at a reputable firm who has a lot of sway, your future will depend on you networking.
Baruch has IMG -- a student club that trades $250k real money long-only. All alumni of IMG are at top firms. It's a huge resume builder and talking point. Threefold in benefit -- 1) shows interest 2) on campus activity 3) leadership role. Name/positions are corny (they call themselves Analysts, VPs, MDs, CEO, etc) but looks very nice on your resume. Great networking opps when alumni come to speak. I recommend reaching out to try to join your first semester, ASAP. There's also a great program called the Financial Leadership Program (FLP) -- it's run by a 20yr vet of a top MM shop that's connected everywhere. Fairly competitive, tough to apply, but a feeder program for that coveted SA gig you want at XYZ firm your summer before you graduate.
Your networking opps are stronger. Logically -- no OCR -- this isn't HBS or Wharton. While you don't have BB's come to Baruch, you have an "underdog" mentality, and so do alumni. NYC is the financial capital of the world (fuck what anyone else says about Toronto/London) and there will be extensive networking opps offered by the school, other firms, leadership events, etc. Stay up to date with WSJ+, sign up for LinkedIn event emails, and go to all info sessions with finance firms. All alumni want to help others who they can relate to -- reach out, speak, and network. If you have connections at any firm, use them. Assuming you're not a total retard, you can break in.
Lastly, some advice. You're a HS senior, about to graduate (congrats!) and are already researching life opps in work to pursue. Just the fact that you're on WSO and show interest in what you want is incredible. Regardless of what school you choose, be involved on campus. List it on your resume. If you have a certain affiliation for your religion/culture, join a club. List it on your resume. If you're interested in finance, join the finance society. List it on your resume. Also, last bit which is very important: If you want IB, you need internship experience. Start looking ASAP. If you have any connection that will land you anything in the finance FIELD, you're already further ahead than people who realize it later. Even a chop shop internship your freshman summer will go a long way into crafting your resume to land an internship later. These are the main building blocks to that coveted gig you want. Work as hard as you can to find them.
You'll learn more about fit as time goes on (still learning..) and people want to be with other people who are normal. This is what airport test, whatever you want to call it. Just b/c you have a passion for finance doesn't mean you should be hardwired to talk about every single WSJ headline, what stock moved two minutes ago, your portfolio, and who's replacing Jamie Dimon in ~5 years at every possible opportunity. Follow some major sport, be relate-able, be honest. Live a little. College is enjoyable and should be a fun exp. Make friends, create stories, and study hard.
Btw, CUNY now offers a scholarship if your household income is under $100k and you're sticking to a particular track beginning this fall. If you qualify, congrats, you won't even have to pay the negligible ~7k cash/yr. I have incredibly mixed views on this free system but I'll keep them to myself. Good luck!
As you can tell, I am evidently biased in my opinions. They're just that -- my opinions. I believe that the obvious answer to your question is Baruch, as your opps, pros, and opportunity cost is better there.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, interest, etc. I'm happy to help all I can.
Also, Baruch's campus is one block from Credit Suisse. Pro tip: Every time you walk past, make sure you shed a tear as you day-dream about the SICK DEALS, DCF MODELING, and M&A WORK their IB team is doing.
Couldn't have said it better. +SB
From what you wrote, there's actually 0 reason for you to go to Bing, so not even sure why you're considering it.
It would be crazy for you to pay 25k per year plus expenses for an undergrad degree from a SUNY. It's just not worth it. Your education will be just decent, you will be stuck with 100k of loans, and you are not guaranteed a transfer to your preferred field.
Location, location, location. It might sound silly now, and it may be tempting to go party at a SUNY famous for it, but Baruch is the clear winner. You have the opportunity to intern year round, the social scene in Manhattan has plenty of places for under 21's (don't be scared to invest in a fake ID), and the alumni network is WAY more extensive, especially in finance. Not to mention that Zicklin is a widely recognized business school in the NY region.
Even if you're not sure if IB is your destiny yet, Baruch has way more exit ops than any SUNY. You can transfer to a different CUNY, go to Zicklin, apply to Macauly Honors, etc. You'll have a ton more opportunities for a fraction of the cost if you change your mind about the future.
Choose Baruch man. (BTW, I don't attend Baruch or any public school for that matter, so this isn't a plug). :)
+1 Very good advice.
Quick sidebit, you apply to Macaulay when you apply to CUNY -- I'm assuming OP either didn't apply or didn't get it, as he would've mentioned it (free tuition). There are no opps to transition into that program, and it's frankly completely unnecessary.
Speaking from experience. Do not do SUNY. Go to Baruch.
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