I know you guys probably dislike seeing these types of posts, but I'm pretty confused about which route to take. I've been admitted to Michigan, UCLA, and UC Berkeley (also IU Kelley, but I've basically ruled that out) and would like some input from people within finance about which path will be best. My current plan after undergrad is to go into Equity Research (or IB, not too sure) then transition into a Hedge Fund.
I know Berkeley is the most prestigious of the three schools, but I have to apply to Haas (Berkeley's BSchool) as a sophomore and the application process is pretty competitive. Also, I heard there is some pretty harsh grade deflation there. It is right next to SF though, which could be a great way to network and maybe intern.
After researching UCLA it seems some people believe if you work hard you can break in there, but others call it the UC of Likely Accountants; I really don't want a Big 4 job. I think I would really enjoy UCLA, though. Should I cross UCLA off for the sake of my career?
Lastly, I'm still waiting on hearing back from Ross as a pre-admit, but I'm pretty confident I'll get in. Michigan is awesome with the sports and the party scene, but Cali weather>>>>>>Michigan weather. I'm from New York, so I could definitely go for some year round warmth in California.
I'm leaning towards Michigan if I get Pre-admit, but definitely want to hear WSO's input.
As someone that has a ton of friends at UC Berkeley and has visited those people quite a bit during undergrad, take it. The internal Haas admission rate is pretty high (35-40%). If you are in DSP, Berkeley Investment Group, Berkeley Consulting or a couple of other organizations there are clear, well-structured paths to MS Tech, Goldman TMT, McKinsey. Not a ton of spots but it's clear how to get there.
The outcomes for the people that don't end up at those places is fantastic. Good groups at BBs. Even the Haas people outside of those groups will get into BBs. People outside of Haas have a harder time but I knew several people in VC/growth equity that were non-Haas.
For quant stuff, Two Sigma and Citadel are considered tier 2 firms at Berkeley according to my friends because of how heavily they recruit. I saw an event where Ken Griffin was speaking so it can't be complete bullshit. Apparently Berkeley is a top target with D.E. Shaw, Jane Street, Five Rings, etc. doing OCR.
I know TPG takes 1 PE analyst a year as well. And this is for their program that turns into an associate role pretty much guaranteed. Seems like an awesome deal.
I don't know a ton about equity research, but I know people that placed into ER at Goldman from Berkeley. Seems like they take at least 1 person a year. Berkeley has like ~50 or so spots at prestigious places that like 250 people are vying for. So competition seems steep but not impossible.
Thank you! I looked into some of those organizations and they really do get great placement. I was unaware of just how much recruiting Berkeley gets, and am definitely considering attending. I'm visiting in about a week, so I'll have a better feel for the school environment.
Thanks again.
I'm only a freshman at Berkeley so I don't know too much about OCR and job prospects but can give you a quick overview. Berkeley is a good school in many ways but it's very important to visit and see for yourself if you can see yourself here. It's pretty cutthroat and not particularly collaborative. Also, if you want warm weather, UCLA would be better. It's actually fairly cold in Northern California most of the year. The Haas acceptance rate may seem high but everyone who applies is highly qualified and has very good grades, extra curriculars, etc. 30-40% among Berkeley students is pretty low. Most people who don't get in do Econ, but as far as I know they still get recruited well. All of the good business clubs get a ton of applicants and it's very hard to get into them (apparently less than 5% acceptance rate according to people I know in them), although if you do manage to join them it's very helpful for networking and such. Overall it's a good school but unfortunately it's very easy to fall behind or get lost. Try to visit all three schools if you can and pick the one where you feel most comfortable. 4 years is a long time and you want to be happy. If you want to know a bit more about at Cal please feel free to PM me.
Umich all the way. More access to NY, grade inflation,and a fun school. Pretty much everything you want as far as sports, entertainment, etc.
Michigan
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