How is JHU looked upon in AM, HF, or PE?
Hello monkeys!
I am trying to settle this debate with my younger brother (senior in high school), he is set on going into JHU (econ major) and wants to get into AM out of undergrad (which is hard, I know), and transition towards an HF or PE in the later stages. He also thinks of going into an M7 MBA afterward. I let him know that it is very difficult to break into AM, even if you attend an Ivy, and I am trying to persuade him to look into GTown, Vandy, or ND. Which one of us is correct, and how should we move forward upon this? Thanks a lot in advance!
JHU is a great school. It's not like academically its going to be any different from the other schools you've mentioned (It might honestly academically even be slightly better). The problem is that there is a lack of a network and recruiting opportunities, as compared to schools like Georgetown, Duke, and Notre Dame. These are schools that send 200+ kids a year to FO roles. JHU sends what, maybe 20? I'm sure there's less competition at JHU, but there are less opportunities as well due to a lack of alumni in the space. When you're 10, 15, 25 years down the road, you're gonna want that alumni network, which JHU just doesn't have.
Any other thoughts?
Honestly, JHU is fine. T Rowe Price is a nearby AM and there are enough alumni that you wouldn't have much trouble networking. Also, most of the students will be premed/non finance focused so less competition too. I don't think it's a bad deal given the choices.
JHU is a great school for Premed/Eng/STEM. Not so great for breaking into FO roles. You will be competing against other candidates that actually went to top B-schools, have companies come on campus, and are a feeder for FO. I agree with the comments here that the competition is much less at JHU, but that's because no one wants to go to JHU and aim for FO. They just aren't known for it. Is FO possible from JHU? Yes, but it will be very hard to do so. You have to network on your own and be recruited on your own time. Top AMs are not coming to your campus and so you have to go to them. Some other person said T. Rowe Price is right next door (I live in Baltimore myself), but they are making it sound so easy. Why will T. Rowe Price recruit an Econ major from JHU, when they can get someone from Smith B-School (Maryland), McDonough B-School (Georgetown) (ACTUAL FINANCE MAJORS).
AM is hard to break into - no doubt, but doing so from a non-b-school, econ major - known for premed/eng? Even harder. If he believes in himself, let him do it. You never know, he could be successful. Just tell him that the work won't be cut out for him unlike other competing schools like the ones you mentioned.
Does major really matter that much for AM? JHU is so much harder to get into than UMD Smith so the caliber of the average JHU econ student is likely much much higher than the average Smith student. So it would make sense for companies to consider the student without the finance major. Most of what you learn in undergrad b school is a joke anyway
Major does not matter as much nowadays as it used to. You can be a CS major and be proficient in finance or vice versa. Same thing with Econ and Fin. This is because everything you learn in school can be learned online within less time and in inexpensive ways. But major is one thing that employers consider when they recruit. It is an additional filter that can be used to weed some people out. Nowadays most employers say they "accept" other majors for finance jobs, but that is not usually the case.
I had only compared UMD to JHU as someone in the comments section mentioned T. Rowe Price (as they are headquartered in Baltimore). JHU > UMD, until the point that UMD is also a target for local Baltimore jobs and Smith school places well as compared to JHU.
Your comparison of companies looking at students without their major is a bit flawed. You have a S&T job at a BB, would you take a Stern - Finance guy or a CBS music guy? Given your logic - they should look at them equally without their majors. You have a need for aeronautical engineer for NASA - two applicants - Econ guy from JHU or Aeronautical Engineer from UMD? Given the JHU guy is on the same level as UMD guy in terms of quant. These may be really stupid examples - but just want to highlight that major regardless of how stupid, does play a role in recruiting. JHU may be more selective than UMD, but that doesn't always mean the same in terms of B-schools. Getting into Cornell is easier than getting into Cornell Dyson.... Same can be said about getting into Carnegie Mellon Computer Science is harder than some stupid major at Stanford, even though Stanford > CM. You have to look at the majors of these students and not just the overall school *is my point*.
*Also you may think I am contradicting myself in 1st and 2nd para. 1st para is in-regards to recruitment. 2nd is in-regards to assessing a candidate - not just based on their school but also their major.
I know some JHU students this year placed at Moelis LA, PJT, and mid teir BBs. i think they do ok but if I had an acceptance letter to JHU and Georgetown I'm taking Gtown all day. better school campus /vibes as well. JHU is pretty nerdy.
I go to Hopkins and this is kind of an IB-centric view because I never shot for AM/PE/HF but: over the past few years there are more and more kids here interested in finance and more are landing FO roles at BBs and EBs, although still fewer than targets because a large part of the student body is med/engineering focused (and more resources and recruiting will be devoted to this as well, that is something to keep in mind). That being said, we still have infrastructures in place for the Econ majors:
It’s good that the kid knows what he wants and is thinking so early about his options. I was in his shoes as well. Ultimately chose JHU because prestige & fit & have some interest in healthcare. Looking back I realise I was definitely at a disadvantage compared to peers at targets (due to their bigger networks and pipeline recruiting) but this name would not get you dinged. If you are here you definitely have to work very hard. Frankly if you want anything buyside right out of undergrad top targets are still the best bet (yes people have gone straight to buyside from here but it’s rare). On a general level, I would advise him to consider schools that are the best fit for career goals, interests, and personality.
it's always a great day to be a jay
Bump
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