Georgia Tech vs Stanford Masters in Engineering- Which one will open more doors in Banking?

Hello All

I have a question/dilemma. I am an undergrad majoring in Electrical Engineering (from Georgia Tech) and am looking to go on for my Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering. I have 2 options for my Master's- I can either go to Stanford or to Georgia Tech.

I have a very good undergraduate GPA and have internship experiences in the Technology Division of 2 leading investment banks. I do not want to stay in Technology and I want to perhaps move into Quant/IBanking/Sales & Trading. Which one of the two schools do you think will give me a better chance of getting into the careers listed above?

Thank You

 

I'm a Tech grad and have a love/hate relationship with the school. Given the choice, I would go to Stanford to have an opportunity to expand my network, live in the Bay Area, and get access to another recruitment channel. Oh, and obviously get a good education too.

Since you already have or will soon have your undergrad degree in EE, why not try to get a MSF or MFE? With your EE background, I'm sure your programming skills are already pretty strong and if you're trying to one of those front office roles you mentioned, I'm not sure how a masters in EE would benefit you any more.

 

well the thing is I should have ideally applied for a MSF or MSE, but I did not. So now, I only have the option of doing a MS in Electrical Engineering (EE) from either of the 2 schools.

So, will going to Stanford for a MS in EE actually help me get more opportunities to IBanking?

Someone asked why I wanted to make a shift to IBanking- the reason is that I have worked at financial firms before and I really like the work culture and the nature of work. I really haven't worked in an Engineering company, so I really can't comment on that. I feel IBanking is a rewarding career for people willing to work hard (which I am), which is why I want to try to get into IBanking

 

What are your costs in terms of time and money? If Georgia Tech will let you finish earlier while spending significantly less cash, then just do the MS there and apply to financial engineering programs. Otherwise go to Stanford. Or maybe you can even work a year and then apply to quant programs with some money saved up.

 
laudrup10:
What are your costs in terms of time and money? If Georgia Tech will let you finish earlier while spending significantly less cash, then just do the MS there and apply to financial engineering programs. Otherwise go to Stanford. Or maybe you can even work a year and then apply to quant programs with some money saved up.

This is a good idea especially if you're an in-state student. Also, I think Tech allows undergrads to take up to 6 credit hours of graduate courses to be applied to both an undergrad and graduate degrees.

 

go to stanford... this is a no-brainer. stanford will open more doors for you period

and to be honest, i would at least try a non-finance internship. "ibanking is rewarding for me because i want to work hard" isn't really a good reason to go into finance. a lot of professions require you to work hard. Steve Jobs worked hard. President Clinton worked hard.

anyways, i'm not saying you shouldn't do finance, just try something else too.

and go to stanford.

 
Best Response

You can get a good position at GE or some place for a year or two instead with a solid GPA, then hit up a MSF degree. You don't HAVE to just keep going with engineering. Plus getting some corporate experience might be beneficial and help you sell your transition plan.

Also, I went to Georgia Tech as well so from another perspective: You already have the GT network (for what it's worth) and Stanford is a great school with a superior network for that sort of thing. However, most GT Banking people went through HBS that I can think of. We seem to have a lot of people end up there, so I'm not sure how useful doing another tour of duty in Atlanta would be, or another engineering degree. Why not do something finance related if that's your MO?

Lastly, I would bet there are some MSF programs out there that are still taking applications...take a look.

PS, if your grades are shit hot, maybe take a stab at the Princeton finance masters program?

 

Georgia Tech. Stanford's electrical engineering really caters to the Silicon valley technology firms, not so much banking. More importantly, Stanford' masters has a reputation as not being that tough to get into (relative to undergrad), and don't expect anything in the way of money. Don't have much experience with Tech but I've heard it has great industry connections because of their research. But if you really want to do banking you should get into a quant math or financial eng. program, or just skip the masters entirely and get a job at a bank.

 
International Pymp:
Stanford. Am I missing something?

He is going to study a master in Electrical Engineering, that program will keep him so busy in lab and he won't get a chance to do anything (such as networking) but signal analysis.

In general, you just don't go to graduate school to study EECS and expect an immediate future investment banking exit. Especially at Stanford, a top school that has many, many bright graduate students in engineering and science.

 
EngPhD:
It was 80 degrees today at Stanford. There were undergrad girls sunbathing on the engineering quad.
Just sayin'

I'm not sure if you've ever actually been to Stanford, but this is by no means a good thing. Please remember the age-old saying that "9 out of 10 girls in California are attractive, and the 10th goes to Stanford."

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
Otter.:
EngPhD:
It was 80 degrees today at Stanford. There were undergrad girls sunbathing on the engineering quad.
Just sayin'

I'm not sure if you've ever actually been to Stanford, but this is by no means a good thing. Please remember the age-old saying that "9 out of 10 girls in California are attractive, and the 10th goes to Stanford."

Yep

http://ayainsight.co/ Curating the best advice and making it actionable.
 
Otter.:
EngPhD:
It was 80 degrees today at Stanford. There were undergrad girls sunbathing on the engineering quad.
Just sayin'

I'm not sure if you've ever actually been to Stanford, but this is by no means a good thing. Please remember the age-old saying that "9 out of 10 girls in California are attractive, and the 10th goes to Stanford."

I got monkey shit for this!?

Anyway, one's standards drop precipitously the longer one is in (engineering, ugh) grad school. After 10 hours in a subterranean lab, any 19 year old that isn't too overweight looks pretty good.

 

Hey All

Thank you so much for all your comments and input. I am still confused about what to do though. How easy do you guys think it is to get into IBanking with an Electrical Engineering Masters degree?

Also, I forgot to mention that I have a free ride at Georgia Tech, whereas I have no financial aid (yet) from Stanford...

 

Hey All

Thank you so much for all your comments and input. I am still confused about what to do though. How easy do you guys think it is to get into IBanking with an Electrical Engineering Masters degree?

Also, I forgot to mention that I have a free ride at Georgia Tech, whereas I have no financial aid (yet) from Stanford...

 

Magni nam dolorem deleniti minus dignissimos esse sit. Est ipsum iste facilis assumenda molestias. Ratione fuga voluptatem animi ut. Earum aut non itaque et fugiat natus omnis. Magni esse at eveniet inventore rerum quae cupiditate. Enim architecto vitae eveniet vero corrupti blanditiis quia.

Eos dolorem quia magni temporibus aut. Cupiditate dolores est aperiam incidunt nam eos. Ipsa labore nobis non vitae. Aut ea maxime temporibus provident aut tempora cum cumque. Et at et error molestiae velit.

Rerum perferendis officiis corporis qui nobis. Ex nam explicabo qui ex nostrum. Nam provident inventore nostrum aut temporibus pariatur. In numquam provident repellendus nulla. Ea tenetur labore error minima. Cumque amet sint ducimus quia sed quidem.

Et quis consectetur aut optio adipisci harum. Veritatis ut aut sit odio vero. Officiis corrupti dignissimos praesentium perferendis sint architecto natus dolore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”