Cornell AEM or Georgetown Econ for Wall Street jobs?
I was recently accepted into Cornell's undergraduate business school (AEM) and Georgetown (not the McDonough School of Business but the College). At G-Town I would major in economics. I was wondering which choice would give me the best chance at a job on Wall St....would going to Cornell's undergrad b-school instead of G-Town's econ major increase my chances significantly? or does your GPA, work experience and interview skills make the difference? I'm leaning toward G-Town because I like DC more than Ithaca and I have an athletic scholarship that would reduce my student loan by about $25,000. Basically, I'm wondering if G-Town econ would still give me a good shot at wall st. or if a finance major in Cornell's b-school would be more beneficial?? Any advice/ feedback I would really, really appreciate.
if you can switch into mcdonough gtown sounds like a better bet
Wall street loves Division one peeps, I would find out if Cornell can give you that.
You still will have to work your ass off, but Georgetown sounds like a better deal. I mean they both have a good name and solid recruiting.
I can speak for Cornell, given that I attended that University, and can vouch for the recruitment efforts. Every major firm including M/B/B consulting firms as well as all the major BB recruit at our school, and we have strong ties with certain BB's. Proximity also allows more recruitment efforts from smaller to middle market firms who are in NYC that may not be recruiting in the DC-area. I am well aware that Cornell is on the bottom of the Ivies; however, we are considered to be 2nd tier Wall Street recruitment target, and I don't believe Georgetown is on that list. This is not to spur on any fights with any students at Georgetown; I'm just not well aware of their recruitment status.
Cornell AEM is the biggest joke major (ie. all As with minimal work + athletes) at the biggest joke of the Ivies... but it's still miles ahead of a nontarget like Georgetown.
You really have no idea what you're talking about. Georgetown is a target at every bank, and a rather large percentage of the school goes into IBD or S&T. If you're going to talk big talk, you should at least be correct.
To the OP: Either of those schools will present options in Finance if you do well, so I'd pick based on other factors (fit, cost, etc).
Go for AEM if you're an athlete. Cornell might suck, but at least its not a nontarget.
@SirBankAlot
Its funny you should say that. I just interviewed with a Georgetown alum whose a MD at a major BB.
Yeah, clearly I'm a troll... your analysis just keeps getting better and better. What a joke. Listen to everyone else here who is telling you how it is, both provide great ops if you put in the effort. Focus on which would be a better fit for you, that will be the most important in my opinion. Best of luck wherever you end up, feel free to PM if you have any questions.
Revsly basically nailed it. Both schools will get you in front of recruiters and give you a good college experience - I know guys from both places going to top banks. It's up to you to do well once you get there - the school name will only get you so far. I don't know which college sport you'll be playing, but while it's true Wall St loves athletes, they love high GPAs more, and D1 athletics is a TON of work. I definitely would choose based on factors outside of job prospects (dude, you're in HS - you might not even want to BE a banker in 6 months, but you'll probably still want to be in college)
^ i have friends at Georgetown, its definitely a target for BB banks.
let me say this. both will get you where to want to go. but Cornell is definitely a bigger target than Georgetown.
After all, no georgetown graduate can attend the ivy league socials, and when your on the street. you say you graduated from Cornell vs. Georgetown, what do you want? "Oh yea I graduated from Georgetown, Big East School" Yea thats what I thought. If you care about prestige, Cornell is miles ahead of Georgetown.
if you do well in both schools you will most certainly land interviews with BB/top boutiques. Go to the school where you think you'll be the happiest. I think both schools give you the opportunity to land IB interviews (slighter edge to Cornell) but your only in HS you might change your major/career path come soph/junior year.
same scenario for me, I had to decide between USC and Pomona recruited to play tennis. However, I didn't get any scholarship money and one of the main reasons why USC cause I knew I wasn't going to play on the ATP.
Go to Georgetown. Both places will get you where no want to be, Gtown will be a lot more fun and a better environment. Big suicide issue at Cornell, pretty sad. I went to school around there and your first winter will make you wish you didn't pick Cornell.
Hey thanks for the replies, most of the comments have been helpful. It sounds like both schools will present great opportunities if I perform well. I'm leaning toward GU because I like pretty much everything about it more than Cornell (DC, campus, M street). Though I don't think it would be smart to go with an econ major in the college at GU over AEM, so I've kind of come to the conclusion that if I can slide into McDonough I'll go to GU, but if not then Cornell. Though I still feel like I'd be giving up a lot on the academic side of things by choosing GU. Just how much more highly regarded is Cornell over GU (more specifically AEM vs McDonough)? Is the Ivy title really as important as everyone says?
i think it depends which region you live in. i live in the west coast so people downplay the "ivy leagues" since we have several schools better then the ivies. i know my friend's asian parents think it's a really important title... but they also don't know shit.
First off, Cornell is a state school. Second, they are both targets, but Gtown is mentioned more as a target on the Vault guide lists of top IBDs. Cornell has a stronger pull and better placing for consulting based on anecdotal evidence only (people I've spoken to). The OP should look at employment numbers from the schools, and search the web to see placement in the firms he/she wants to work.
Vault rankings are absolutely useless.
Does majoring in econ make it harder to get interviews with BBs? Do finance majors have a advantage?
If you go to a school that offers finance, then yes, being an econ major puts you at a disadvantage in terms of recruiting (I'm speaking from experience). A great GPA, and learning basic accounting/4 valuation techniques on your own will help to combat this disadvantage. If I were in your position, though, I would try to get in to McDonough. I took classes there while doing an internship in DC, and it was a great experience.
If you can make a Georgetown athletic team with a scholarship you should be able to do the same at Cornell. Either school will put you in front of employers but if one school's team is better than the other's then you may want to go there.
No scholarships in the Ivy league
The problem is that Ivy League schools don't offer scholarships...I don't know why but it's just one of their policies.
I'm definitely going to try to switch into McDonough. If that were to happen, would AEM vs McDonough pretty much be a toss up? or does one have a distinct advantage over the other? I've seen the new businessweek rankings (AEM #5, McDonough #23) but I'm trying not to put too much weight behind that.
Business Week rankings are a joke, don't even consider them.
I can say from experience that at Georgetown, during SA recruiting, majority of students selected for interviews are MSB, however there are close to half also from the School of Foreign Service. International Econ major or International Political Economy major in the SFS definitely doesn't put you at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting.
If you have any more questions, send me a PM.
Hey geez thanks for the post. It looks like theres a strong possibility of me getting into MSB. I wanted to get some info from a direct source about what the recruiting ops (for finance majors) are like and how MSB stacks up against other target schools (specifically AEM if there's anything you know about it)?
To be honest, I think you've been given all the info. If you do well at Gtown or Cornell you'll get interviews. From then on its on you, school doesn't matter too much. As far as Georgetown, most going into banking come from SFS or MSB, but that might be more because those in the college are generally more interested in academia or are late to figuring out what they want to do. If you were in the College and went in looking to get a job in banking and do well I'm sure you'll get the opportunity, but if you feel more comfortable in MSB/SFS then absolutely switch. If you do it now, it shouldn't be too difficult, if I'm not mistaken if you write them asking to change schools you can convince them before you matriculate.
Cornell vs Georgetown (Originally Posted: 05/24/2014)
which one?
Georgetown is one of the best schools, if not the best schools, for topics related to international relations. Outside of that, you won't be limited in any capacity for IB recruiting if you choose Gtown over Cornell. Beautiful campus and vibrant culture there as well.
I would hands down go with Georgetown. The International Business program is one of the best, and if you're interested in the subject this will give you a unique facet come time for recruiting. Not to mention that the community around Georgetown is absolutely phenomenal.
Cornell is a shit hole. There are two types of people that go to Cornell: tools who are way too proud for "making it" into the Ivy League, and douche bags with sticks up their asses because they're still bitter they didn't get in anywhere else in the Ivy League.
I would argue the network from Georgetown is equivalent if not more "elite" than that of Cornell. Cornell is seen as a joke amongst other Ivy League graduates, so from a networking perspective I think the association would do more harm than good.
Then again, I'm just a pompous prick at another Ivy League school so take what I say with a grain of salt :) But seriously go to Georgetown.
The most exclusive area in DC vs Ithaca? Really? I think the decision is easy.
Your choice should be based on fit, not which one will get get in banking as you'll get an interview from both.
I would go with Georgetown. Gr8 culture and less competition for top jobs ie IB/MBB specially since you were accepted into McDonough and not AEM but both can get you interviews.
...this beyond parody...
Cornell AEM vs. Georgetown (Originally Posted: 06/29/2012)
Alright, so I was accepted into Cornell AEM (Finance/Applied Econ concentration) and Georgetown (College, NOT MSB). My initial plan was to go to Cornell, but I decided at the last minute that most bankers that I've spoken to had wished to never even major in finance, and all echoed the same statement that if they could do it again, they'd take on either math or CS. This worked out perfectly for me, as I loved Math as well as CS to begin with, I just never intended to study it in school as I always thought that Econ/Finance was better for IB jobs. Plus, it would be better for my GPA if I hadn't majored in such a quant subject. Anyway, it has come down to deciding between these two schools, and I've gathered that it might not be the best choice to make for IB if I'm deciding between Cornell (AEM) vs. Georgetown (Econ), however I'll leave that up to you guys to help me decide. The main question I wanted to get a feel for was if it'd be worth it to give up my chance at attending Cornell (AEM) in favor of attending Georgetown and majoring in CS, which will give me the added benefit of a quant major as well as prestige. Do you guys think that it's worth dropping the quant major just for the Ivy name? Is Cornell even that much more prestigious than Georgetown, anyway?
Thanks for the help.
Since this is a wallstreet blog- I assume banking/trading is what you would like to do. That being said- AEM is probably top 5 in getting its students on the ‘street’. If you get good grades there and network properly, a FO or top consulting job would be yours to lose. Don’t get me wrong, Georgetown is a terrific school, but not for your traditional wallstreet jobs. They do have decent on campus recruiting, but not nearly as much as AEM and about half the network (sooo many Cornell kids in finance). Additionally, when people are looking for quants they go to the big engineering schools- MIT, CalTech, etc. Georgetown may have the brand name in a lot of things, but math or CS is not one of them. Now, if you are unsure about your career path, or interested in Law school or computer programming or whatever, this discussion is much different.
I know far more Cornell kids on the Street. Anyway, there are number of things you should consider. For example, I grew up in a city so I'd probably choose Georgetown because I'd be more comfortable there. Both top schools but different environments. Visit both campuses.
Thanks for the responses. I realize that Cornell is huge for getting kids on the Street, but I thought GTown was just as good. Basically, Georgetown is the best school that I got into that I'm able to study CS, whereas Cornell is the best school (ranking wise, at least) that I got into, but I have to study business. Is it really worth it to give up the quant major (CS) to study business for the bump in rankings? Thanks!
I would go to Cornell AEM in a heart beat. It's Ivy league, and the interviewer will not second guess your interest in the finance industry. You would be fine at GTown, but your chances are better coming from Cornell.
sounds like you already have your mind made up and just want to be convinced that going to Georgetown will not backfire on you in getting a job on the street. Everyone is right in saying that you should do what your gut instinct tells you to do, but know that everything has its opportunity cost and going to Georgetown may diminish your chances of getting a job on the Street.
Georgetown sends a ton of kids to Wall Street, and they aren't just from the MSB. Georgetown is one of the larger feeder schools to BB banks and has a fantastic alumni network. Go with your gut and what you actually want to do, but neither of those schools will hurt your chances of making it to the Street....only your academic track record and your interviewing skills will hold you back.
I studied math in school and my advice to you would be to study what you want to study. Go to your local library and check out a couple books on abstract algebra, intro to analysis and linear algebra. Work through the first couple chapters in each and see if that interests you, not all math is like the Calculus you've seen and it gets extremely abstract. Also, if you are going to study math I would suggest at least throwing in a econ/finance minor so that you show interest to recruiters and at least have some knowledge about how it all works. It's silly how little I knew about finance and now I am going to be jumping in head first after studying chaos theory. My .02
lol, tru dat! i've been to Harvard Cornell hockey games, they're legitimately fucking crazy! i've seen dead chickens being thrown onto the ice at refs!
Thanks again for all the responses. Again, I think I'm leaning towards Georgetown for the fact that I'll be able to study CS or Math as opposed to being forced to study business. Cornell is a great school, but I feel Georgetown is on the same level of prestige (at least very close) as Cornell. Add to that that I can major in CS, which will literally open any doors that someone could want..whether it be IB, software, or anything else.
Also, I forgot to mention that I currently have my resume padded towards an SA position in IB for next summer, with virutally no CS experience yet, which could hurt or help me. I have a BB PWM Internship, a Boutique IB firm internship in NYC (tech focused), and am now doing some Economics research for a professor @ a local school (NYC). Kinda wanna get a break from all this econ/banking and go the tech route if you see what I mean, lol.
Gtown vs Cornell (Originally Posted: 06/09/2015)
Hi everyone,
I'm a transfer student and I'm trying to decide between Georgetown(college) and Cornell (College).
1, It seems that Gtown has stronger presence on the street. Why is this the case?
2, Does Gtown have strong presence on middle market?
3, I heard that in BB lots of people have negative feelings about Cornell. Is this true?
Thanks in advance!
Gtown if you are in their business school
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