Is UConn over UVA a bad idea??

Hey Monkeys...long time lurker but first time poster. I'm a Male, High School Senior and my college decision has come down to UVA or UConn. I'll be going for Finance which will hopefully help me land a job at a top IB working in the Securities, Merchant Banking, or Investment Banking division. Right now, the schools are about dead even for me as far as "feel". Since I'm from Connecticut, I can go to UConn debt free. If I go to UVA, it's going to require taking out about $25k in student loans. Aside from the debt, one of my main concerns with UVA is that you have to apply to McIntire during your 2nd year, so there's the chance I go there and can't major in Finance. I know UVA's a target school and UConn isn't even close, so is that advantage in OCR and prestige worth the debt and the risk of McIntire? Thank you so much!

 

 

If you want to maximize your chances of IBD, go UVA. Even UVA liberal arts would be better than UConn if you didn't get into the b school. Also, don't sell yourself short by worrying about not making it into McIntire before you even try. It's not that selective if you are already a UVA student, and will be the easy part on your path to IBD.

 

@WSO1212 Keep your ignorance to yourself and try to educate yourself a bit by doing some research. UConn is a top 20 ranked public school in the country and is still labeled as an "up and coming" university. I can understand how you gained this false perspective because UConn is x10 the university it was even 10 years ago and seeing drastic changes/improvements every year.

 
Best Response
bbaryluk:

@WSO1212 Keep your ignorance to yourself and try to educate yourself a bit by doing some research. UConn is a top 20 ranked public school in the country and is still labeled as an "up and coming" university. I can understand how you gained this false perspective because UConn is x10 the university it was even 10 years ago and seeing drastic changes/improvements every year.

Hey dipshit - @"bbaryluk" - I am not spreading ignorance. It is a FACT that, all else constant, you have a better chance making it to Wall Street from UVA than UConn. This isn't even debatable. I understand you are a UConn student and salty, but nobody is saying UConn isn't a good school. It just doesn't have the same precense on the street that UVA does. Not to say it's impossible, but just less common. I have spent 5 years in Wall Street firms (2 in IBD and 3 in PE) and don't recall ever meeting a UConn grad in the hundreds of finance professionals I've met. On the other hand, met dozens from UVA and have worked with several. I reviewed 200 resumes this year of 1st year IBD applicants for my PE shop, and didn't see one from UConn. Several from UVA though.

I am all for smart kids from schools like uconn hustling and making it to the street, but objectively, UVA will give OP a better chance. I didn't go to a target, but also i don't get salty when someone says as much. Is what it is and do the best with what you got.

 
bbaryluk:

@WSO1212 Keep your ignorance to yourself and try to educate yourself a bit by doing some research. UConn is a top 20 ranked public school in the country and is still labeled as an "up and coming" university. I can understand how you gained this false perspective because UConn is x10 the university it was even 10 years ago and seeing drastic changes/improvements every year.

Up and coming means jack shit if it's going to take several years for it to be recognized as a good school. Quick Figures I've pulled from LinkedIn for alumni working in BBs.

UVA: 608 GS - 110 MS - 92 JPM - 114 Citi - 132 BAML - 27 CS - 76 UBS - 33 Barclays - 24

UCONN: 368 GS - 26 MS - 87 JPM - 37 Citi - 98 BAML - 11 CS - 19 UBS - 77 Barclays - 15

UVA is a much stronger performer in recruitment evidently, particularly among GS / MS / JPM. I haven't delved into the figures to split FO / MO / BO roles but it's easy enough to take a look yourself. OP as said, if it's 25k overall I'd go UVA. If it's 25k per annum then I'd take UCONN. $100k of debt is too much of a risk.

 
SECfinance:

^ UVA basketball is arguably better right now.

Well if we're deciding according to basketball, MSU > UVA. my boy Trice was stroking out there today

"My name's Ralph Cox, and I'm from where ever's not gonna get me hit"
 

UVA no doubt. Work your butt off freshman year and get into the business school. This may be blunt so I apologize ahead of time, but if you are going to slack off to the extent you can't get in the business school, you probably are going to have a tough time getting into IBD/MB regardless of where you go.

As for the loan situation, do what you feel comfortable with. Plenty of kids go to school on student loans and still work on Wall Street and can pay their rent, it's just a little lower of a standard of living because you can't blow it all on food or alcohol. Also keep in mind that if you land internships during your summers, you can make 5-10k doing an IBD internship which helps soften the blow of taking out loans to get that internship.

 

Coming from a curent UConn student, in todays job market a UVA degree in finance is probably a little more valuable because UConn is only finally getting serious recognition as a top tier state school. (mostly because they have shed their old reputation as a party school and because the number and prestige of students applying increases every year) But the University is growing and improving at an exceptional rate and in the future who knows where they will stand on a prestige scale. Every year more UConn grads are being offered jobs by firms on Wall Street.

 

Please don't spread misinformation. I have yet to come across a UConn grad in my experience. I've met several UVA kids. UConn may be an "up-and-coming" regional school according to Princeton Review, but that doesn't mean GS/MS/BAML/JPM are sending their recruiting teams to campus despite the "number and prestige of students" that attend.

UVA is the clear-cut choice here, even more so with the fact that it's only $25k of debt (unless you meant $25k per year, which makes this incrementally trickier, though I would still give the nod to UVA 99/100 times).

 

Candor, I am not spreading any misinformation here. I agree that today UVA is the clear choice here but in the future it might not be. You also misread the part of my reply where I said "number and prestige." I stated that the amount of kids applying to UConn undergrad is increasing every year and the academic prestige of the students applying is improving every year making it harder for applicants to be accepted. I also never mentioned anything about GS/BAML/MS/JPM or any other specific firm for that matter recruiting UConn grads directly out of college. I merely said that there are UConn graduates being offered jobs at firms on WS, whether it be IB's or FA's, because I personally know people and have friends who have been offered jobs and now work for those firms.

 

@"WSO1212" First of all no need for the dipshit remark. Secondly, if you had read my other comments, you would see that I made it clear that I agree with everybody else for the most part that UVA is the better choice over UConn. And yes I was "salty" because I didn't like and didn't agree with a remark you made about my school. Forgive me but anybody would so the same. Regarding your experience with applications and colleagues, I very much understand that UVA has a wider presence on Wall Street than UConn because quite honestly UConn's business programs have been less than stellar up until the last 6-7 years and according to people I know who work on Wall Street, UConn is finally getting some recognition, whether you've seen it or not. (Unimportant note: one of my buddies who graduated from UConn a few years ago is currrently working as an analyst in the IB TD at Goldman Sachs.)

 
bbaryluk:

@WSO1212 First of all no need for the dipshit remark. Secondly, if you had read my other comments, you would see that I made it clear that I agree with everybody else for the most part that UVA is the better choice over UConn. And yes I was "salty" because I didn't like and didn't agree with a remark you made about my school. Forgive me but anybody would so the same. Regarding your experience with applications and colleagues, I very much understand that UVA has a wider presence on Wall Street than UConn because quite honestly UConn's business programs have been less than stellar up until the last 6-7 years and according to people I know who work on Wall Street, UConn is finally getting some recognition, whether you've seen it or not. (Unimportant note: one of my buddies who graduated from UConn a few years ago is currrently working as an analyst in the IB TD at Goldman Sachs.)

Hey dipshit, what did I say about your school that you didn't like or don't agree with? I didn't say anything about UConn in absolute terms; simply stated that relative to UVA, it will be harder to make it into IBD, which is just fact (and you later conceded).

 

25K a year or 25k over 4 years is the most important part here.

in general UVA > UConn any way you slice it.

UConn does send some kids to well known first (two from the Stamford campus went to well known alternative shops). Some go to FAP at GE then transition into GE equity, ventures, or AM. again, this is not the norm, but it does happen.

UVA, places better in general.

 

How did you make it into private equity as a high school senior? Could you do an AMA on that?

 

OP, it seems like you're leaning towards UVA. If for whatever reason you decide to attend UConn, know that you'll have to be on top of your game sophomore and junior years to get the junior SA internship. The School of Business culture will be less focused on IB analyst programs than McIntire, and you'll have to take more initiative. If you're IB or bust and care little about other factors, then UVA would be the higher percentage play. Some people would prefer the UConn environment though (more outdoorsy and athletic) if the southern, preppy culture isn't their thing. It really depends on your priorities and expectations.

 
User11221122:

Lot of UCONN defenders in here.

I would love for the people defending Uconn to tell us what they currently do. My guess is, they are not in a UVA level finance position. However, if they are, they'll be intelligent enough to say, "I did it, but it was an uphill battle and I would have gone to UVA or other target school if i had the chance to do it over"

I love my school and will always defend it even though it its a non-target, but I would definitely have gone to UVA if I had been accepted. There no argument that its reputation better positions its graduates for top-level jobs.
 
bbaryluk:
User11221122:

Lot of UCONN defenders in here.

I would love for the people defending Uconn to tell us what they currently do. My guess is, they are not in a UVA level finance position. However, if they are, they'll be intelligent enough to say, "I did it, but it was an uphill battle and I would have gone to UVA or other target school if i had the chance to do it over"

I love my school and will always defend it even though it its a non-target, but I would definitely have gone to UVA if I had been accepted. There no argument that its reputation better positions its graduates for top-level jobs.

There's your answer, OP.

 

Don't listen to these idiots trying to make themselves feel better about not getting into a better school. The numbers point UVA but even they downplay the magnitude of the gap - the average UVA student is in IBD, etc and the average Uconn one is in middle office.

Harsh reality but it's the truth. It is irrelevant what is "up and coming" or not. All that matters is that your odds are significantly better of you getting a good job from there. UVA also has a very strong / loyal alumni network with a strong buy side presence too. And just FYI, I went to a school slightly below UVA recruiting-wise so wouldn't consider myself to be biased.

 

Full disclosure:

I got into Emory and a bunch of non-targets. I chose a non-target due to a relatively small amount of debt (50k) I would have to take on at Emory vs. no debt at non-target. I have had to work so incredibly hard to get firms to even look at me, it's ridiculous. I will forever regret the decision of passing on Emory.

Moral of the story: This is your best (maybe your only) chance of going to fantastic school. This will open SO many doors for you. You will sign up for a life of ease, pampering, and excellent recruiting vs. a life of struggle and hardship.

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things
 

I think up to ~50k it's an obvious choice that you should take UVA.

Your first year out of college you could end up making literally ~50k more than a "regular" job and pay off the loan within ~1 year.

If it's more than 50k I would need more info on you as a student, your personality, etc. to make an informed decision.

I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things
 

UVA for sure. 25k of debt isn't that bad. If it was over 100k or you were paying 50k+ a year vs 0 at UCONN that would be different. UVA will open up a ton of doors for you, UCONN will make it more difficult. Plus I always think its good to go to college away from home. It broadens your horizons and makes you less dependent on your parents. Even if you live on campus you'll still end up going home, seeing old friends, etc. Submit that deposit for UVA and don't look back.

 

I don't entirely disagree. There are some cases where even more debt could be worth it. Usually thought I would only take on the full 4 years of debt for a truly elite school. UVA is good, but its not a HYP type of school.

I don't know much about UCONN, but I'm sure the OP could hustle and end up in a good job. 200k of debt + interest is a pretty heavy load, especially if the OP could end up at a Deloitte or Bank of America. UCONN is a huge school and if the OP excelled and networked hard, I'm sure there are some UCONN alums that could help him out.

I would still just do UVA at the end of the day though.

 

Am I the only one who thought this was about March Madness? I'm like oh UCONN over UVA is a risky call. Oh wait UVA is playing Michigan State and UCONN missed the tournament.

Robert Clayton Dean: What is happening? Brill: I blew up the building. Robert Clayton Dean: Why? Brill: Because you made a phone call.
 

I went to Tufts at 100k debt over Uconn, didn't regret my choice then, don't regret my choice now. "Up and Cumming" is great but what you need a solidified image. A school that is perceived by others to be better can give you a brand that is very hard to replicate at that age otherwise.

 

I am a current Uconn Student, and can vouch that our finance program is significantly better, and we have bb firms who actively recruit here. Not to mention, we are closer in vicinity to Manhattan and Stamford (UBS, RBS). Uconn is also a better school academically.

 

I am a mid-2000s UCONN graduate so I'll throw in my 2 cents. I'll try to touch on a bit of everything that was mentioned previously and then get to the OP question. Based on my experience the top 5% of Uconn business school grads can compete with the target schools in terms of talent; however, as many mentioned before even if you are in the top of the class it is still going to be more of a battle than coming from a target. While the finance program continues to improve, the curriculum largely ignores banking, PE, and ER, and tends to focus around the development of middle management types and places to firms like GE, Traveler's, UTC, etc. This skew makes sense given that only a modest portion of my fellow classmates displayed an inclination to pursue IBD or some form of Asset Management and curriculum tends to cater to the masses. I believe Uconn will continue to move up the public school ranks as they elevate their admission standards and expand the ever-improving curriculum, but this is going to be measured over years and possibly decades.

Personally, I ended up landing a gig in MM PE, so it is possible, but it wasn't easy and I found myself doing a lot of gut checks post graduation wondering if a FO role was ever going to materialize. Fortunately, I gained some good hands-on asset management experience while on the Student Managed Fund and then almost immediately enrolled in the CFA program post graduation to further shore up my resume, which certainly helped my candidacy. Similarly, all of my classmates who ended up on the buy-side put in a monumental effort to get there, but they DID ultimately get there.

Punch-line is this: I would choose UVA + $25k debt over Uconn + no debt and not think twice. My personal inflection point would be somewhere around $75 - 100k because a top performer out of Uconn can get into a top 10 MBA and I would rather save the money to put towards that endeavor.

I hope this helps. Feel free to PM me and I can get into the nitty gritty with you. Good luck.

 

The problem with UConn, is that up until the last 6 or 7 years, it hasn't had a strong business school at all, but over the last decade to half-a-decade, it has really made tremendous "strides" in terms of undergrad placement, hiring of top professors, and great increase in admission standards. About 20 years ago, coming across a UConn grad on Wall Street would be a once in a blue moon occasion, now you see them more often than not. I didn't attend nor did I graduate from UConn, but I do know of these "strides" their BS is making due to colleagues who are alumni. My guess is it's probably because of there current President they hired from Duke about 5 or 6 years ago who I have been told is changing the culture of that school drastically.

Bottom line is, if you want to go with UVA where it already has a well solidified reputation in the Investment Banking community and on Wall Street in general than go for it, but if you want to go with UConn where you can save money at a school that is still trending upward in terms of respectability, theres something to be said for that too. Good Luck!

 

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