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I don't even know what SMU stands for - go to UCLA lmao, this should be an easy choice. Employers care more about brand name.
k
Jesus Christ, I hope this is a troll post. I would laugh out loud if I found out you chose SMU over UCLA because you read a post on WSO that said it would give you a better chance at breaking into IB. Why don’t you ask your parents?
this^
to pick SMU over UCLA is stupid - especially because of a wso thread probably written by people who couldnt get into UCLA, and have other people chipping in that have no idea. it is NOT harder to land a job in finance from UCLA that at a smaller private school, unless that smaller private school is Harvard/Princeton/etc... dont let wso dictate your life. the amount of misinformation on here today is a joke
ok thanks
Are these the only two schools you got into? If you got into UCLA, you probably had a good shot to get into UVA, UNC, etc. level schools that might serve you better for IB recruiting.
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Lmao not sure if this is a troll post.... don't overthink this, go to UCLA and don't look back.
SMU if you will network
You are the only person so far who has recommended I go to SMU
smu lmao don’t fall into the prestige trap UCLA you’ll be just a number cox only has a few kids.
I’m getting two conflicting ideas here. Some people are telling me it would be idiotic to even consider SMU over UCLA simply because of the prestige factor.
So here's the thing: Yes it's retarded to take SMU over UCLA because SMU is just not a reputable school unless you have some burning desire to live in Dallas, Texas, in which case it's just ok. At the same time, UCLA for all intents and purposes is just not this prestigious, feeder school for IB either, but it's still leagues above SMU.
What you should do here is take UCLA, try to get a better read on the school once you get to campus (grab coffee with upperclassmen and ask them for their honest opinion), and if you find out that it is insanely hard to break into IB from UCLA, then you should transfer out to a UVA-type school (get killer grades and also take a shot at lower Ivies like Cornell or Dartmouth, too). The only reason you don't take UCLA atm and take SMU (considering you have no other choices) is if it's way more expensive to go to UCLA over SMU, but I doubt that's the case. Worst case, if you don't get a transfer admission, you can probably go out of your way to network in-person with LA banks and land interviews in LA coming from UCLA.
Your only other option I see now (and you might be receptive to this because classes in the Fall are likely going to be online), is to defer your UCLA admission, take a gap year, and get into a higher level school. If you can't get in anywhere, then you go to UCLA and make the most of it.
its up to u where u want to be. cox places so many kid into IB. if you don't believe me go take a look on LinkedIN. UCLA is overrated smu has a strong alumni network and if you get into AAMC, look it up, almost every kid goes IB. Also Cali vs TX? a decision you have to make.
it is NOT Ivy League or bust lmao. It's just insecure and kids like this need to make sure other people are aware of their prestige to overcome their lack of life other than school. Don't get caught in that prestige culture. NO ONE cares about rankings but the kids that go to schools with them lmao.
Go to smu, join a fraternity, have a blast, get into AAMC and ill see you in banking my g
thank you so much for the actual advice
I strongly encourage you to read the post above in green by the Prospect in HF-Macro a few times. UCLA is an amazing school with decent finance placement. SMU is a decent school with decent finance placement. Even though they probably do similar for finance recruiting, most would say to pick UCLA because it's a much better overall institution.
It isn't Ivy League or bust for life in general but you do agree that finance is a very prestige-driven industry right? Headhunters when they recruit you for PE look at your undergrad school, MBA programs look at your undergrad school, etc.
yes sir that I would agree on. I guess even more it kinda depends on what you do at each school. but overall prestige goes to UCLA for sure
Bro you seriously need to stop trolling or being actually fucking retarded because there is no way in hell anyone with a brain would pick SMU over UCLA. Jesus fucking christ, what are you on? There is no way in hell that SMU would give you better opportunities than UCLA. Sure, UCLA might be a grind, but if you really want to get into IB, you can do it as long as you work hard and grind and network for it. UCLA kids are seen as Ivy League rejects, and SMU is some expensive ass no name school for kids who usually didn't get into UT. Tell me which one sounds more impressive (UCLA, dumbass). At least you'll have the UCLA name on your resume. Who the fuck knows what SMU is? Stop being a retard and pick the obviously better school. I honestly hate when stupid kids like you get into UCLA, because those spots could've went to kids that deserved it a lot more, but instead here we have an actual retard that wants to pick SMU over UCLA...
bro you are SO hot
ucla for 100% sure 1. Good university 2. international brand name 2. if you restrict yourself to Asian area, it is very difficult to get back to the US while the opposite is quite easy. 3. Singapore is too small, go somewhere else to have broader view. 4. if you plan to further your education, UCLA gives your great advantage in applying for tier 0 universities which are almost US school. 5. ....
I was referring to Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
If it is in Singapore, I could somehow understand the dilemma but as for the SMU you refer to, it is never as good as UCLA.
Please don't take SMU over UCLA just because of the finance placement lol. I agree that UCLA can be overhyped and it's not necessarily a target school for banking, but it's still more than possible to land a good job. I have friends from UCLA who landed analyst positions at reputable banks on both the East and West Coast. And I'm pretty sure your resume will turn more heads with UCLA vs. SMU. If you really want it then you can grind to make it happen.
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If you're fratty and/or have old money connections SMU has the HOTTEST girls. Just a minor consideration.
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Both good schools, but with a lot of people saying UCLA or die, just want to bring up a point and maybe play devils advocate a bit.
Assuming by posting in this forum you are trying to break into IB. Alternative Assets program at SMU (AAMC) I would argue is the single most slept on program in the country for placing kids in IB. Started with IB opportunities (every BB and EB in Houston / Dallas will recruit on campus and target specifically 1 or 2 Alts kids).
College is supposed to be fun so make the decision based on whether you’d rather be in LA or Dallas (both great options). It’s a really fun school with tons of hot girls, and if you study hard and get into Alts you will land an IB job with almost 100% certainty. I am not a genius by any means but by going to SMU my path to banking was remarkably easy (at least compared to some other stories I’ve read on this site) and I was very well prepared.
TX > CA in every aspect except the weather also, imo
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