NYU Stern or UVA Darden for MBA
Hello all,
I recently posed a similar question on NYU vs UNC and the unanimous response was NYU, as expected. I would now like to know your thoughts on NYU vs UVA for MBA. I am currently on the waitlist at UVA (applied last round ...) but think I have a decent shot at ultimately being admitted. My goal is to work on the buy side as a research analyst. That said, I realize that sell side experience may be necessary first given that neither of these schools offers great buy side recruiting. I am more than willing to do sell side out of school and will assume that that is what my path will be unless I get lucky. I have 6 years of experience in PWM/Financial Advisor and am a CFA charterholder. Location, vibe, and "experience" considerations are not important to me ... I am solely interested in providing a launch pad to my desired career, building my network, and adding a good brand to my resume. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
interested as well. good luck with everything.
Are you 100% sure culture doesn't matter to you at all??? These 2 schools are about as different as you can get.
You'll be able to get the same job coming out of either school, these are peers. If your goal is to build a network within NYC Finance, Stern is the clear winner. Stern = you'll have more face time with NYC Finance guys, and more of your class will end up there... with Darden, you'll build stronger connections, but your NYC finance network will be smaller.
Are you really sure culture doesn't matter though?? At all??
Hey,
Thanks for the quick reply. It's not that the culture "doesn't matter" to me ... more that if one schools has a way better culture but the other is 5-10% more likely to help me achieve my goals, I'll take the one with the better chance over the culture. I went to undergrad 45 min away from UVA (JMU) and had a ton (possibly too much) of fun, so at this point I need to do everything I can to ensure my career gets on the right track. Thanks again
I had a cousin at JMU, partied there a few times... I understand :-)
In my opinion this is all about location. NYU will get you into NYC finance with little problem, but... You'll only be recruiting for NYC placement and nothing else. Your career thereafter will most likely stay in NYC. If this is your plan, go to NYU.
If you randomly decide you want to try out consulting, of if you're debating working/settling in the mid atlantic or south, Darden may be a better option.
I really do feel these schools are pretty even otherwise.
I'd go with NYU if you want finance, like others have said. I think Darden is the perfect school for post-MBA consulting types. That case study curriculum is brutal, but sets you up nicely. I don't think NYU will get you "stuck" in NYC, but it was definitely get you in finance.
With your work experience and CFA, either school will get you where you want to go for your chosen career. So I'd look moreso at intangibles such as fit, people, vibe, location, etc
If your goal is NYC as far as building your network and career-Stern would be a better value proposition. People don't realize how aggravating constant recruiting and networking trips to the city can be from a distant rural area in terms of cost, time, etc. I imagine you'd get alot of studying/ leisure reading done, though! Of course the tradeoff is the cost of living in NYC as a grad student. But even that's probably a wash factoring the trips from Charlottesville
But both are highly regarded peer schools. This one's a toss up in terms of quality-so assuming you get into Darden and don't care about your post-MBA location, the intangibles and your preferences will have to be the tiebreaker
Proximity to NYC, the finance world, is something you should not ignore. Please go to NYU. No darden.
Stern has damodaran, roubini and taleb. What else could you ask for
Enjoyable classmates and places to spend time outdoors.
It is the NYC man
Stern
Went to Darden. Made 1 recruiting trip to NYC and got 2 IB offers. This was the norm, not the exception. Banks send teams to Cville for networking. Multiple bank events on campus each week during first few months of school.
Hi ichweissnicht, what are the BBs that recruit on campus at Darden for IB? Thanks.
-
What's the S&T/ AM recruiting like at Darden?
Darden Vs Stern (Originally Posted: 01/15/2010)
Which would you choose. I am applying to one of these schools for second round which is better?
Stern. Located in NYC and a top finance program. What more could you want?
Stern for the exact same reasons as coffeebateman. If there are other factors to consider, you should clarify.
Stern for the exact same reasons as coffeebateman. If there are other factors to consider, you should clarify.
Really? I was alway under the presumption that Darden was better then Stern no?
i think darden and stern are comparable rankings-wise, but stern has the built-in advantage of being in NYC. that being said, you will be recruited by investment banks if you go to darden too.
wtf is Darden?
UVA's business school.
Stern: New York = more clubs = more sex.
All BBs + bunch of middle market / boutique firms.
http://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/MBA/Career/Hiring-Companies/
The vast majority of people who went into IB were career changers (90%+). Very few former analysts returned to banking..they went mostly to PE or consulting. Most people who recruited for banking were successful. Ability to network and make a good impression on bank recruiting teams are much more important than previous experience.
What exactly do you want to do on the sell side (if you realize that's what it takes to get to the buyside? Banking? Equity research? Stern without a doubt. S&T? First of all, it's hard to transition to the buyside it you are a market maker. Either way, S&T progrms across the street are DRASTICALLY reducing MBA recruiting all across the street. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the recruiting machine that exist for banking does not exist for S&T.
Thanks for the reply. Definitely research.
absolutely Stern
You will have the same career opportunities at both schools. Go where you fit in best. I personally picked Darden over Stern. As was mentioned earlier, its a very different MBA experience. I figured...I'll spend the next 10+ years of my life in NYC...I'm going to do something different for grad school. Had a great time, very happy with my decision.
Thanks everyone for comments so far. On another note, I somehow just learned about Stern's curve grading policy. Should that factor into my decision? I am unclear about how much grades matter in MBA. Nonetheless I would like to do well. I have heard that the workload at UVA is possibly the heaviest amongst the top programs. Any thoughts about these issues would be great. Thanks.
Also interested in thoughts about Stern's "succession" from the rest of NYU and if this should be considered positive or negative going forward.
Secession, sorry.
Just to provide another data point, at the recent Stern MBA preview weekend, a first year mentioned to me that once the dust settled, there were about 80 students from the ~400 that were gunning for banking internships. He noted that around 65-70 received offers. Obviously, the level of intent amongst those 80 varied but he did mention that just about all students that were "fully" intent on banking and went to all/most of the company events received an offer. Perhaps not everyone got their first choice but I imagine its like that everywhere. If there are any current students here, feel free to confirm or correct.
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