Best Non-Target / Semi-Target Undergrad?

I don't go to Fordham but I hear their Campus Recruiting Services are very poor. Kids that land gigs have to do a lot of fighting on their own for them, like any other non-target school. Their location does help though.

It seems every fifth person I meet in NYC finance/consulting/anything is a Penn State kid

This thread is a little misleading. I think you can make it from any halfway decent school given you work your ass off for it. I go to a supreme IBD non-target (1 post-BBA IBD analyst in the past 20-30 years) and am still getting interviews with BB's. Just get involved in school, network, and ball out.

If you want to go into finance, the best would probably be a school in NYC due to the ability to intern part-time during the school year. Other than that, any non-target with a reputable student-run investment fund and/or alumni on the street is a good bet.

Yeah I do know if you work hard and network you can make from most schools, but there are some non-targets that are more advantageous than others, like Penn State benefits from its large alumni base or Fordham benefits from its location. Thats what I am trying to get at

I am more interested in S&T than IBD though

College of W&M, John Hopkins, GWU, Penn State

Baruch? Not sure if it's considered semi target though.

leheigh, villanova

baruch

Why the hell would you want to go to the "best" non target? Target schools and semis are not that difficult to get into.

You're limiting your goals way too early, and you're going to fuck it all up.

Don't go to Fordham. Their OCR is horrendous. Best way would be to hit the ground running and start interning in freshman year.

Trust me on this.

Google "highest paying undergrad business schools" and pick the first one that isn't a target.

Came up with James Madison University, ha!

What are your stats? You might have a decent shot at something like BC (semi), Vandy (semi), apply very broadly, first to see where you can get in and secondly, because financial aid offers can vary tremendously.

I couldn't get into Vandy or BC unfortunately, the best I could do is somewhere like Richmond which I hear is getting better recognition on the street, but I'm ambivalent as I am being told that by people who currently attend/attended.

If you're looking at the east coast, Maryland might be a good option. They usually place a few kids every year onto Wall Street. Obviously UVA and Georgetown are better but as far as non-targets go, Maryland does relatively well.

Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Easy to stand out if you know you're stuff, classes aren't hard, babes are all 7-10's. Really, the BABES.

I realize that most investment banks don't recruit here but do any boutiques recruit at these colleges?

IMO, these would be considered very strong non-target. Could be considered Semi target to me.

imo only Lehigh, but it is really tough to get in to banking

i've never met or seen resumes of anyone from the other schools

Knew a guy who went into middle market IBD from Boston U. around 2006...but it's not 2006

BU's actually ok, the cream gets into BB or MM IBD, OCR isn't great but I think we had Morgan Stanley, Fidelity and Citi among others here for IB SA recruiting.

I am a highschool senior so take what I know with a grain of salt but I've read way to much on these message boards and the schools websites and if I were you i'd stick to Lehigh or Northeastern.

Especially Lehigh if you are doing that CS/BBA 4 year program

You either have FO recruiting or you don't

Lehigh, northeastern and BU all have alumni at my bank (top BB, IBD).

Lehigh gets OCR from JPM, MS, GS, Citi, CS, BOAML, Barclays, UBS, Blackstone, BlackRock, and a number of miscellaneous MM firms. Not all listed recruit both for IBD and S&T, but definitely recruits for either and many recruit for both.

Case Western will land you anything you want in Cleveland... the downside of course being living in Cleveland!! Honestly, there is a decent amount of IB and PE firms in the Cleveland/Columbus area. Probably the second best area outside of Chicago in the midwest.

So I think that it would be fair to rank them in this order? 1.) Lehigh 2.) Boston U 3.) Northeastern 4.) Case western 5.) Trinity College

??

BU, Lehigh, Case Western BU is quite decent if you network well and the location is great for finding internships with some no-name boutiques in the city. If you like investment management, Boston has a number of quality AUM shops. I would think BU gives you the best opps at a potential transfer situation as well.

Also what are the prospects of getting in top masters in finance programs (princeton, columbia, etc.) and MBA programs (HBS 2+2, Wharton (after work exp), stanford, etc.)

Case has some in roads with banks in the MW. If you are specific about NYC, go with Lehigh or BU.

Otherwise:

1. Lehigh
2. CW (again, could end up at a KeyBanc, etc.)
3. BU
4. Northeastern

Lehigh is an actual hard academic school compared to most.

Thank you so much for responses.

Really depends what you're looking for. I am at NU now (bias, sure) but have had incredible internships and have jobs lined up for when I get out of school at competitive locations. I think NEU tops the list for potential after graduation. Also, it is neck and neck (and pulling ahead) of BU in some major rankings.

If these schools are truly non-core (no active banking recruiting), then the most important factor would be academic reputation. Trinity College is the top of this list (NESCAC school), with BU coming next. The rest are further down the line.

Lots of BC and Trinity senior bankers at my bank. No one from Lehigh, BU, or Northeastern that I know of at any level. Not that this is representative, just one data point.

I've seen kids from non-targets get into BB, it's all about the knowledge you can convey in the interview and being able to network via cold calls like crazy.