NYU (Stern) vs UVA Undergrad

Hi guys, 

I'm a long-time lurker/first-time poster--I apologize if my post is not properly formatted. Anyways, I'm a HS senior looking to go into Investment Banking and need help choosing a college. I was recently admitted into NYU Stern and UVA. By sheer business school rankings, Stern appears to be consistently higher than UVA. However, I am concerned about Stern's culture: with every single student shooting to go into IB, it seems cutthroat. I am also turned off by the lack of campus. UVA, on the other hand, checks a lot of boxes: a spacious campus, big-time sports, and a vibrant social scene. Is the difference in job placement massive between the two? Career preparation is my #1 priority, but if Stern's job placement is only marginally better than UVA, I think I'll choose UVA for the above reasons. I am truly going back and forth between Stern and UVA and any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Go with UVA if you like it better. UVA is a core school at like 70% of the major places ppl are vying for out of undergrad.

You can certainly get to the same place from UVA. 

FYI - culture is what you make of it. At any undergrad BSchool program there is strong competition for jobs. You will find the same gunners at UVA as you would at Stern and other b-schools. Just have to surround yourself with a crowd that fits your personality best (i.e. make friends that are doing totally different things, join clubs in activities you find interesting, etc.)

 

UVA you dont get into the comm school until junior year. You will be limited in connections and utilizing the comm school. IB recruiting starts sophomore spring now and you wouldn’t have the business school’s prep and resources. Something to keep in mind as the business school is very competitive to get into. NYU stern also grades on a curve so it’s cutthroat. Better resources at stern and you may not even get into business school at UVA

 

I am honestly not sure. The comm school does “gatekeep” resources so you would probably be on your own for recruiting. You ultimately want support in the process. You could always do the route of doing a masters program at comm school and use resources like that.

 

Is everyone above a student at NYU? In my experience as an alum of neither school, I have seen equal representation from each school. Both schools are very solid targets. Waiting two years to enter the comm school does not change anything. Aditionally, UVA has immense grade inflation that is very helpful for recruiting. Overall, if you want to be in NYC, go with NYU. If you want to be in the South/college town, go with UVA. 

 

Thanks for the replies--really helpful for a naive HS senior. It sounds like both NYU Stern and UVA will open doors to IB if I network successfully, get a high GPA, etc, so I'm leaning towards the more "fun" college: UVA. I'll remain on Northwestern's and Dartmouth's waitlists, but I plan on enrolling in UVA in the meantime. 

 

Ut assumenda voluptatem qui et qui. Ipsa facilis expedita nostrum quia et. Officia fugiat molestias fugiat cum rem qui quidem. Itaque sapiente iste voluptatem impedit occaecati optio neque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 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

March 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

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”