Georgetown University MSB vs. UVA (Undergrad)

Hi. I’m currently a senior in high school, and I was accepted to Georgetown University (McDonough) as well as UVA. Which university would give me the easiest time/best chance and resources (interview practice/networking capability/OCR) for getting into BB/EB IB? I’ve been researching both these schools for a while now on and outside of WSO, and it seems that half of people say Georgetown is better for placement and the other half say UVA. One thing that worries me about UVA is that I have to get into McIntire, which I’ve also heard conflicting reports that it’s easy to get into from some and extremely competitive from others. Whichever university I go to I plan to get good grades and join clubs/get involved. I was also accepted to Boston University, Boston College, UMass Amherst (I live in MA) and waitlisted at Columbia. As for those, BU gave me essentially no money, and from research UMass is a non target and BC is a semi-target. Since BC, UVA, and Gtown cost around the same though for me, I figured either UVA or Gtown would give me the best chances. I signed up for Columbia’s waitlist but I need a solid decision to commit to first. Thanks for reading.

 

If you are already in at MSB I'd take it over the potential of getting cucked and not getting into McIntire. Both schools are pretty equal as targets when it comes to placement & opportunities.

FYI you no longer "have to" get into McIntire. Recruiting happens before your junior year even begins (which is when McIntire entrance would occur). There isn't a huge advantage to being in the Comm school besides the really cool curriculum. Every bank that visits will openly share they are not looking for McIntire only students and that it just seems that way because McIntire kids are the ones applying most to their roles

 

Is there a reason why? UVA is #10 on 2018 WSO university ranking for BB (1.9%) vs. Gtown at #17 (1.2%). Hell, even BC beats it (#13, 1.5%). For other notable banks it’s UVA at 3rd (2.6%) and Gtown at #27 (1.0%). Yet I’d say the majority of posts seem to say Georgetown > UVA. What’s the reasoning on this? Is there some fact that makes them beat UVA?

 

Personally, I have met more people from Georgetown than UVA in finance though I wouldn’t be surprised if one or the other places slightly better. They’re pretty comparable in that regard but Georgetown has the better reputation for me and I’ve generally been more impressed with people from there. You will be fine coming from either and should seek advice from people actually attending these schools instead of an online forum. Just note that if recruiting is so accelerated and you do not have the ability to distinguish yourself via McIntire, you will be competing with a student body that is more than twice the size. Good luck

Swinging Through
 

FYI, I'd take the university rankings on WSO with a grain of salt, there's no way BC competes with GU in placement into IB. It's probably affected by BO/MO people coming on here and submitting that they're starting at BB's (Ex: I know for a fact that BC has a pipeline to Barclays MO programs).

LinkedIn & Career Center placement reports are the most accurate representations of what placement actually looks like

 

WSO ranking is garbage bc they include back-office and non NYC jobs. For real investment banking jobs Georgetown is way way way better and thats simply universally known. Furthermore, UVA has 5 times as many kids and still only has a few more people on Wall Street. Georgetown places incredibly well. We constantly have Morgan Stanley, JPM, Bank of America, as well as the Elite Boutiques like PGT, PWP, Evercore, Lazard, etc coming to campus. Even with COVID I have multiple meetings a week with these firms and im only a freshman. Georgetown sets you up way better than BC or UVA for banking no question. This should be common knowledge...

Array
 

I don't know if you've chosen yet, but Georgetown is the clear choice. It's a lot of fun, the people you're around are incredible, and job placement is a hell of a lot better. It's been an incredible experience to me, but to be honest, you'll be just fine at either place. For me though, it's a no brainer and would have been before I attended Georgetown as well. Especially with COVID-19, you're gonna want to guarantee a top tier job and GU is a target and UVA is maybe a semi-target.

Array
 

Fellow Georgetown student here. I'm also a Vigininian and many of my friends from home go to UVA and I visit Charlottesville a couple times a year at least. Georgetown is a great school, but UVA is also a great school. I would probably put them in the same tier. Georgetown tends to have more of a bulge bracket focus while UVA has more of an independent advisory/elite boutique focus. Both schools draw similar people (especially out of state students at UVA are very similar to Georgetown students I'd say). I think the most important thing to consider if you're making this choice (which is the same choice I had to make), is to consider the fit at either school and go based on that. Also, even though recruiting happens pre-McIntire now, its probably important to consider the difficulty of getting in as well. If you're a driven student from either school, you can get a great banking job.

 

I was in a similar situation as you. It was down to Georgetown MSB and Michigan Ross (which is pretty similar to UVA that it's a large public university that's a target). In the end, I went with Georgetown. Why? Because the curriculum is designed with a heavy undergraduate focus (similar to Duke, Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton, and the NESCACs). Michigan Ross on the other hand is another amazing school for sure, but I felt that the undergraduate programs were overshadowed by the graduate ones (similar to NYU Stern or UVA). Also, Georgetown MSB has a much smaller student population and much smaller average class sizes than Ross, according to my friends who attend both schools. Sure, Ross or UVA may place more kids than Georgetown MSB statistically, but keep in mind the much bigger population of Ross or UVA compared to Georgetown MSB. So just go with the one you feel is a better fit for you. I felt like I could succeed better in a smaller setting and that was the deciding factor for me in the end. However, UVA and Ross are amazing options and I highly respect both. Let me know what you chose though, and hopefully see you next year on campus or on the Street!

 

Would it be alright if I pmed you to ask some questions about the clubs at Gtown?

 

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