SMU or UTD
Hey y'all,
College decisions have come in and now it's time for me to choose between SMU and UT Dallas. My career goal really is to do IB for 2-3 years then move to PE or HF because I will definitely like the buy-side more and then some type of investing on my own. I'm trying not to get into too much student debt so I can take advantage of compound interest and invest early.
UTD: I have been offered a full tuition ride and 1k in stipends. I haven't heard back from the honors college yet though. This school doesn't really have a strong alumni/OCR, but it has a club/program which is offered during the 2nd year that can link me to more internship opportunities. If I choose this option, I will have saved around 80k for my MBA or to transfer to a different school after my Sophmore year.
SMU: I have been offered 20k in scholarship, but this will still cost me around 17k/year which I will have to get a loan for. If I do computer engineering as a double major, I can get 9k off which will definitely help but I am not sure if the extra work is worth my time better-spent networking.
Other options are:
Penn State Smeal OOS-50k
Rutgers- New Brunswick OOS-43k
Is undergrad worth that much or is it better to just save for an MBA? Also how much did you guys have in student loans and have you paid it off already?
Thanks
If you're interested in IB and the choice is between SMU and UTD, SMU and it's not even close. UTD kids in IB are very few and far between and SMU (if you're in the Alternative Asset) is recruited heavily by virtually every Houston and Dallas bank and is represented at every bank that I can think of.
Recent SMU-alum and IB analyst here. If your goal is to get into banking, go with SMU, 100%.
The Alternative Asset Management program in Cox places like a top target. It's highly selective but if you can get in it honestly flips the recruitment process on its head and makes it a breeze. You can find more info / the list of recent placements online, but there are alums at almost every bank -- both in TX and NYC -- and older alums in the top PE funds.
Happy to discuss more via PM. Comment below if you do PM, as this is a throwaway account and I won't check it regularly.
Sure we can do PM.
I'm not sure why my PMs aren't working at the moment, but I have a few questions that I asked another forum user. What GPA do you think is necessary to get into the Alts Program? Did you graduate with a lot of student debt or were you able to pay it off due to the SA opportunities at SMU? Also how was the campus culture there, did you feel like you needed to join a frat to find connections/friends? Thanks
Feel free to PM me as well, I was in your shoes my senior year of high school (considering SMU, UTD or transferring to UT-McCombs) and ended up transferring into McCombs then placing into IB, albeit briefly.
To build off of TX_Banker_anon's statement, the program at SMU is very strong for placing into IB if you can get in. If you're open to transferring I would consider taking the full ride to UTD for a year then going to McCombs, I can point you in the direction of some programs at UT that have strong placement in IB as well. I think UT places better into IB overall, and has better brand recognition outside of Texas.
If you want to stay in Dallas, SMU hands down. Best of luck with your decision.
Hey, I'm not sure why my PM isn't working. Concerning transferring, what GPA do you expect on to get in order to make it into Mccombs? I've heard that UT has really upped their standard for transfers. Also, I'm assuming you went to UTD, did you also participate in their honors program? Lastly, what clubs do you think helped you the most transfer into the Mccombs program and ones you enjoyed at UT?
Did you apply to UT?
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