Non-Ivy school recommendations

Hello all,

I have been wondering lately what some of the top schools for recruiting is (outside the Ivy League ), which place reasonably well, and have strong relationships and connections to Wall Street. Preferably northeast, however, if the school fits the criteria then that will do. Open to any serious suggestions.

Thank you!

67 Comments
 

In terms of academics/reputation/"name," the top NESCAC schools are Williams/Amherst; after that you have a mix of Middlebury/Wesleyan/Bowdoin/Tufts; then Colby/Bates/Hamilton/Trinity; then Connecticut College (which is kind of the black sheep of the league). It's obviously not a hard-and-fast ranking (i.e. I'm not going to argue if Colby is "better" than Tufts), but it's pretty clear that Williams/Amherst are the top two.

 

what kind of school do you want? Big party school with finance-related majors and hot girls or a small private school with all different kinds of people and unique curriculum? If you kill it at a Umichigan or a Williams you'll have very similar opportunities, but Williams alumni will probably go further for you.

 

Anecdotal, but I've met UVA grads at every BB I've interviewed w/.

I come from down in the valley, where mister when you're young, they bring you up to do like your daddy done
 
Best Response

USA

  • Stanford University
  • University of Chicago
  • Northwestern University
  • Duke University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Georgetown University
  • John Hopkins University
  • University of Southern California
  • New York University (Stern)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Williams College
  • Amherst College
  • Swarthmore College
  • Pomona College
  • Claremont McKenna
  • University of Virginia (McIntire)
  • University of California - Berkeley (Haas)
  • University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Ross)
  • University of Texas - Austin (McComb)

Canada

  • University of Western Ontario (Ivey HBA)
  • Queen’s University (Commerce)

United Kingdom

  • University of Oxford
  • University of Cambridge
  • University College London
  • London School of Economics
  • Imperial College London
 
"jackdonaghy26" USA
  • Stanford University
  • University of Chicago
  • Northwestern University
  • Duke University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Georgetown University
  • John Hopkins University
  • New York University (Stern)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Williams College
  • Amherst College
  • Swarthmore College
  • Pomona College
  • University of Virginia (Darden)
  • University of California - Berkeley (Haas)
  • University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Ross)
  • University of Texas - Austin (McComb)

Canada

  • University of Western Ontario (Ivey HBA)
  • Queen’s University (Commerce)

United Kingdom

  • University of Oxford
  • University of Cambridge
  • University College London
  • London School of Economics
  • Imperial College London

Just to clarify, McIntire is UVA's undergraduate business (or as they call it, "commerce") school. Darden is their graduate business school.

 

I'm pretty sure a lot of people would disagree, but here are some good schools for finance:

1 - UMich (Ross) 2 - Duke 3 - Chicago 4 - UVA 5 - Notre Dame 6 - BYU 7 - UTAustin 8 - UCLA 9 - Georgetown 10 - CMU

Now don't everybody go and get your panties in a bunch ...these aren't rankings..just a list.

Hope it help.

Wally!
 
donkeyBusiness730I'm pretty sure a lot of people would disagree, but here are some good schools for finance: 1 - UMich (Ross) 2 - Duke 3 - Chicago 4 - UVA 5 - Notre Dame 6 - BYU 7 - UTAustin 8 - UCLA 9 - Georgetown 10 - CMU

Now don't everybody go and get your panties in a bunch ...these aren't rankings..just a list.

Hope it help.

Worst list of all time... ever

 
futurectdocWilliams

Really? Its a top tier school in general but comparing its overall standing to its wall street presence, I haven't seen it. Same thing with Middlebury..

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

You can still get in if you've got top grades, and good experience, in my opinion.

I've heard of people getting hired to Wall Street firms right after college from schools that people squash all the time on this board (eg. University of Florida, Bucknell, Lehigh). Wake Forest and Emory are both VERY respectable schools.

 

I think that what he meant to say was this:

Depending on major...

It's obviously harder to get a job at a good/BB firm in NYC if they don't actively recruit on your campus. However, coming from a top 30 university should give you an edge on the kids coming from state schools trying to apply through networking (like you should be doing).

However, it still makes it a lot tougher. My best advice would be if you really want it, network your ass off. If you graduate without an offer, move to NYC and start networking. You should land a job within a few months. Hard work though, and stressful I'm sure (I never had to go that route).

 

Wake Forest and Emory are both schools that DO have on campus recruiting from banks. Obviously not to the extent of a Harvard or a Wharton, but they are actively recruited

 

Iste at aut corporis pariatur. Sed dignissimos asperiores fugiat ut aut. Magni expedita cum sit voluptates nisi sit eligendi. Et cumque nostrum dicta commodi alias. Recusandae veniam et tempore exercitationem amet dolorem consequatur. Ipsam quam repellendus dignissimos molestiae ratione nihil ab.

 

Rerum aliquid et mollitia non dolores dignissimos sed. Pariatur aliquam enim exercitationem quisquam dolores unde quia. Ut sint aliquam ad iure voluptatibus. Velit rerum tempora magni aut laudantium.

Neque temporibus illo eligendi esse voluptatem soluta. Omnis voluptas nobis eos debitis. Sed assumenda amet illo ea iusto rerum quidem consequatur. Porro id autem saepe consequuntur aliquid. Et et sunt quam doloremque enim. Ut illum consequuntur molestias voluptas et porro quo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”