UCLA or NYU Stern (UG)

So I'm mainly deciding between UCLA and NYU Stern at the moment. I'm definitely leaning towards Stern for the great job placement, but I'd greatly appreciate any input on this whether it be for the college experience, competition within the school, or job opportunities.

Although I've mainly narrowed it down to these two, I've also been accepted to:
- Vanderbilt
- USC Marshall
- UNC Chapel Hill (guaranteed Kenan-Flagler)
- Notre Dame Mendoza
- Boston College Carroll

Also, NYU has given me enough financial aid that the difference in cost isn't going to be a factor in my decision. As for social life, I generally prefer kicking back with a couple of friends to going to parties.

EDIT: Current plan is to work in finance, but I'm well aware of how much my interests can change over the next four years. I also really love macroeconomics, so I haven't completely ruled out the idea of becoming an economist. Also, sports is a nonfactor in my decision.

 

Ha wow I have the same exact dilemma as you, except with Stern and Northwestern. I'm choosing Stern cause the social life there allows you to not only chill with friends, but party in NYC...And you can't ignore the 60/40 split.

Good luck man and maybe I'll see you next year!

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."
 
Best Response
Green_Bananas:
Ha wow I have the same exact dilemma as you, except with Stern and Northwestern. I'm choosing Stern cause the social life there allows you to not only chill with friends, but party in NYC...And you can't ignore the 60/40 split.

Good luck man and maybe I'll see you next year!

lol there is no social life at NYU ug. Kind of hard to party in NYC when you're 18 and without income. A few friends of mine went to NYU and they all managed to live with the weirdest fucking people on planet earth. One kid roomed with these asian twins who had these posters of disfigured clowns hung up on the wall next to their bunks. The posters would show some fucked up looking clown and a creepy saying like "I watch you when you sleep." They also played nba 2k all day and never spoke english. Easily the two weirdest kids I've ever met. My other friend didn't have it much better.

Yes this is a small sample size but the main point is that living in nyc doesn't mean that you are really partying in nyc. You might go to a hookah bar in the village or bar none or some other shit hole around 13th and 3rd but you're not exactly living the nyc life you saw in 'wall street.' You're going to get carded everywhere and beers aren't cheap.

 
Cookies With Milken:
Green_Bananas:
Ha wow I have the same exact dilemma as you, except with Stern and Northwestern. I'm choosing Stern cause the social life there allows you to not only chill with friends, but party in NYC...And you can't ignore the 60/40 split.

Good luck man and maybe I'll see you next year!

lol there is no social life at NYU ug. Kind of hard to party in NYC when you're 18 and without income. A few friends of mine went to NYU and they all managed to live with the weirdest fucking people on planet earth. One kid roomed with these asian twins who had these posters of disfigured clowns hung up on the wall next to their bunks. The posters would show some fucked up looking clown and a creepy saying like "I watch you when you sleep." They also played nba 2k all day and never spoke english. Easily the two weirdest kids I've ever met. My other friend didn't have it much better.

Yes this is a small sample size but the main point is that living in nyc doesn't mean that you are really partying in nyc. You might go to a hookah bar in the village or bar none or some other shit hole around 13th and 3rd but you're not exactly living the nyc life you saw in 'wall street.' You're going to get carded everywhere and beers aren't cheap.

I only said that 'cause that's what I heard from friends that have gone and go there now. You're definitely not going to find typical college frat parties that you see at other schools but can find other things to do. And believe it or not, a lot of New Yorkers consider going to a hookah bar or a club to be "partying."

Those two asian kids though...holy shit...

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."
 

Does anybody have any comments as to how well UCLA does in terms of finance jobs? I know that Stern does pretty darn well, but all I know about UCLA grads is that my bank teller was a UCLA econ major (which honestly has driven me away from UCLA).

Abhi7: 3.63 UW / 4.46 W GPA 2290 SAT (780 CR/800 M/ 710 W) SAT II: 800 Math 2C, 780 US History, 760 Chem 6 AP tests: All 5s.

I realize that my GPA is low, but this is mainly because I go to an incredibly competitive high school that's basically #1 for STEM in the nation. Not getting a 2300 SAT actually put me on the lower spectrum of SAT scores at my school.

Green-Bananas: Yeah, we probably will! Congrats on NU though! Honestly, had I gotten in, I would've gone in a heartbeat haha.

 

Since you're posting this serious question on Easter, you obviously don't know how to have a life. Go to Stern and become and investment banker. That way, you can work on Easter for the rest of your life.

EDIT: aside from the sarcasm above, the questin is: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? Figure that out first and go from there. You can always change schools later.

Get busy living
 

I stand by what I said.

The lifestyle for the average NYU student sucks and they would have been better off at a fun school like USC. Of course I didn't go to USC so I could be wrong and life at USC could suck (but this goes against everything I've ever heard about the school.)

 

hey man, congrats on the acceptances. i went through this same thought process when i got into USC, UCLA, NYU and Boston

it came down to USC/UCLA vs NYU

For me, i visited NYU and fell in love with the city and lack of campus (literally its not a campus, but a bunch of buildings scattered across a couple of blocks) this was sick and awesome, and the facilities, staff and students i met were all very welcoming and warm. but ultimately, i wanted a college life that had a traditional football team and campus with a greek life as well.

nyu might have better placement in NY and more respect in the finance world, but i ultimately wanted to live in LA and for that i decided to pick between UCLA or USC which both are top 25 schools and place equally well in LA/SF and even some in NY as well.

basically, it came (for me) and should come down to for yourself (if money is not a factor with your financial aid) where would you rather be after college? in LA or NY? if you're "BB or bust!" or "NY only" type of guy that NYU is your choice. if you're more laid back and still want a career in finance you can do UCLA/USC and get top placement in LA/SF for banking but you'll never have that NY edge or experience or lifestyle.

plus LA has awesome weather and chicks ;)

hope this helps! and PLS dont look at this decision as "which school will give me a better chance at GS/MS then PE then M7 MBA?!" because you'll be miserable for the next few years if thats your mentality on college. congrats again on the offers and cheers.

I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things. Read Sun-tzu, The Art of War. Every battle is won before it is ever fought- GG
 

UCLA is the better school but NYU more likely than not places better into IB in NYC. You can get all the top jobs out of UCLA but it is probably more limited, given the location. If your life is set on IB at age 18 then go NYU. Otherwise, if it was me, I'd make the decision on where I would have a more enjoyable college experience. Smart kids get good jobs. Period. So go have some fun and let the chips fall.

 

UCLA undergrad here with a brother at Marshall. It all depends what you want to get into, what social life you want, and where you want to live. If you want to go into Accounting, I can hardly imagine a better lifestyle/recruiting scene balance than UCLA. For IBD and Consulting, you have to work VERY hard to secure a BB job, and Bain and BCG only take 1 intern a year (McK doesn't recruit). That said its not impossible, just very difficult as the competition is very fierce (multitude of 3.5's, EC leadership, and frosh/soph interns).

Note: I have two internships under my belt, trying to secure a third for sophomore summer, and both of mine have been attained through connections/fraternity. UCLA's name gets you in the door, but the university does little to help you.

If you want to live in LA and desire IBD/finance that isn't accounting, I'd suggest Marshall, as my brother has had a much easier career search.

 

UCLA undergrad here with a brother at Marshall. It all depends what you want to get into, what social life you want, and where you want to live. If you want to go into Accounting, I can hardly imagine a better lifestyle/recruiting scene balance than UCLA. For IBD and Consulting, you have to work VERY hard to secure a BB job, and Bain and BCG only take 1 intern a year (McK doesn't recruit). That said its not impossible, just very difficult as the competition is very fierce (multitude of 3.5's, EC leadership, and frosh/soph interns).

Note: I have two internships under my belt, trying to secure a third for sophomore summer, and both of mine have been attained through connections/fraternity. UCLA's name gets you in the door, but the university does little to help you.

If you want to live in LA and desire IBD/finance that isn't accounting, I'd suggest Marshall, as my brother has had a much easier career search.

 

The Stern brand name carries on both the East and West Coast. Marshall and UCLA don't. I would say go to NYU because you can always go back to LA if you are set on it, and at the same time you're not limiting yourself to just LA.

If you are set on LA though I would say UCLA because its a better and cheaper school

 

When I'm in the neighborhood of NYU, the female students look hipsterish and not particularly attractive. It's hard to imagine a good 'college experience' there. Maybe someone could tell me if I'm wrong. I imagine UCLA to be the opposite and would guess you could get to where you want to be with about the same degree of difficulty at either school.

 

Go with Stern and fuck all the other schools. You have the best chance of getting a front office job on Wall Street because of proximity to all job opportunities. I have many friends currently attending NYU and they love the experience because there are not only frats and house parties, but clubs within reach as well. Although there isn't much of a college feel because New York City absorbs any and all college life, you can still have an amazing time there depending on the kind of scene you prefer.

 

I'd go to UCLA, no question. Know plenty of grads in the BBs, and they basically give away Big 4 positions to UCLA students if you need a fall-back. This is all, remember, at one of the few schools in the country with a great reputation AND a solid social scene. UCLA sports is the real deal, the people are good-looking. Stern is basically the opposite. You're fighting tooth and claw for every internship, you have no campus, everyone is ugly, and it's SO FUCKING COMPETITIVE. As in, 400+ people show up for Goldman's infosession and if you don't have a 3.7+ and like 4 finance internships plus networking you're not getting an interview. UCLA is different. You don't have half the student body jerking off to Lloyd Blankfein before they go to sleep every night. So if you shoot for banking going in, you're going to get a great shot if you join the business clubs and the investment banking workshop. Pretty straightforward. Harder to get to NY than at NYU, probably, but you're the main target for LA banking and plenty of people go to San Fran.

I don't think this is a tough choice, honestly.

 

Thanks for the responses guys! I was set on Stern when I posted this, but now I'm pretty seriously considering staying in SoCal too.

If I want to stay in the West Coast, would you guys suggest UCLA or USC, mainly for recruiting opportunities?

Also, I'm surprised at the lack of support for Vanderbilt. Does it really not compare to UCLA, USC, or NYU Stern?

 
Danimals510:
Thanks for the responses guys! I was set on Stern when I posted this, but now I'm pretty seriously considering staying in SoCal too.

If I want to stay in the West Coast, would you guys suggest UCLA or USC, mainly for recruiting opportunities?

Also, I'm surprised at the lack of support for Vanderbilt. Does it really not compare to UCLA, USC, or NYU Stern?

I'd go to UCLA. Cheaper and more reputable. But if you want the private school experience, could see why you'd go USC. Career services are probably better too.

Can't comment on Vanderbilt.

 
Danimals510:
If I want to stay in the West Coast, would you guys suggest UCLA or USC, mainly for recruiting opportunities?

That "Trojan Network" is legendary. I'd say USC

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

The trojan network is this weird myth that for whatever reason persists. I am a UCLA guy, and would choose UCLA over SC for a variety of reasons, primarily financial. That said there could be an argument made for SC but I wouldn't say the network is one of them. Especially if you are talking IB, its just all formalized recruiting anyway.

 

For the record, cost isn't a huge deal for me here because the differences in cost among the colleges I got into are fairly balanced thanks to financial aid. Also, USC should actually be cheaper than UCLA by about $18,000 for me over all four years because National Merit gets me half off tuition.

 
Danimals510:
For the record, cost isn't a huge deal for me here because the differences in cost among the colleges I got into are fairly balanced thanks to financial aid. Also, USC should actually be cheaper than UCLA by about $18,000 for me over all four years because National Merit gets me half off tuition.

You know the school sucks if they're giving you half off just for getting national merit. Swear to god, half the kids at my school got that, and we're all paying sticker.

 
triplectz:
Danimals510:
For the record, cost isn't a huge deal for me here because the differences in cost among the colleges I got into are fairly balanced thanks to financial aid. Also, USC should actually be cheaper than UCLA by about $18,000 for me over all four years because National Merit gets me half off tuition.

You know the school sucks if they're giving you half off just for getting national merit. Swear to god, half the kids at my school got that, and we're all paying sticker.

Sounds like a lot of kids from weak states.

 

As a UCLA graduate, I can assure you that if you go into school thinking you want to do investment banking, you'll probably come out with a banking job. There's just not a ton of competition to get into the industry, which makes things easier for everyone. To increase your chances, the Undergraduate Business Society holds an investment banking workshop every year, and participation is essentially a guarantee for a top BB or a top boutique. This past year, the workshop sent students to GS, MS, CS, BAML, DB, etc. in LA, SF and NY. And I know business fraternities receive a lot of hate, but from what I've seen, they help tremendously with networking. Just a heads up: the more reputable one at UCLA is Delta Sigma Pi.

There are other pros to UCLA. 1) The school is in a great and safe neighborhood, surrounded by Westwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills and very close to Hollywood. USC, on the other hand, is located in downtown LA, which is pretty dangerous. 2) The social scene at UCLA is amazing. Whether you want to go Greek or not, there will be no shortage of places to go and parties to attend every week. Added bonus: Seeing celebrities on campus and at movie premiers in Westwood. 3) For the most part, UCLA still has a better reputation than USC both nationally and internationally. That's something to think about in case you decide finance isn't for you while you're in college.

Don't think your bank teller is the norm for all UCLA graduates. He/she probably studied some BS major and/or dicked around for four years. I know two students who went to USC. One was president of her business fraternity and took a job as some data analyst (whatever that means) at some unknown healthcare firm in the middle of nowhere. The other is working as a fashion contributor for a magazine in NY. It's a small sample size, but my point is there will always be people with jobs that you find attractive or unattractive from all great schools.

Good luck with your decision! Regardless of what I posted above, all three schools are great, and you'll do fine wherever you end up.

 

You're biggest consideration is this: if you're asian/indian, go to Stern. If you're white, go to UCLA. If you're white, you'll be one of 3-5 in a class of 40 at Stern. This may get shit, but seriously, it matters. The kid that chose Stern over Northwestern is nuts btw.

 

If you want to be in New York after graduation, go to NYU. If you want to be in LA after graduation, go to USC/UCLA (I would recommend USC for its connections/more fun). If you want to be in Chicago, go to Notre Dame (although I personally hate the school, it places very well at top BBs in Chicago). If you want to be in the South, go with Vanderbilt. Can't go wrong with any of your choices though.

 

When it comes to the cities themselves, I don't really have any preference for LA or NY. Since the location itself isn't a big deal for me, what are the differences between LA and NY offices in terms of exit ops, prestige, workload, office environment. salary, etc?

 

If you want the college experience, go to UCLA or USC. If you are set on business, NYU Stern is the way to go.

I personally prefer the West Coast (if the cost isn't a huge factor). As for UCLA vs. USC, I think UCLA has a better reputation overall and a great social scene without a doubt. If you want to live and work in California, UCLA would be my choice. I love NYC and I was considering NYU for a long time, but I don't like the idea of an open campus whatsoever. If you are still confused, try to visit the schools; it may help you narrow down the list. Good luck!

 

So much hate in this thread from people who haven't attended either UCLA or Stern. OP, if you need opinions from biased people on the Internet, you're bound to make a decision that's not going to fit your needs. IMO figure out your priorities and understand which school will better fit your needs. Some people don't have the luxury of having a job handed to them by connections, so the appeal of good job placement is huge. Either way, both are great schools with different features that make them that way.

 

if you can afford paying 50k, go to stern. if you can't, ucla. but the opportunities are fairly incomparable i would say. maybe 20-30 kids (bb+mm) from ucla enter banking each year. far more at stern.

 

I agree with b2, but if a banking internship and ultimately a job is your top goal, then NYU Stern will give you much better chances than at UCLA. That is not to say it cannot be done, but it will definitely be easier.

 

Cost aside, you may go to stern because you "think" you want to go into banking, once there, you may hate it.

Case in point...I had a friend who worked for Credit Suisse and after three years said F*** Y*** to banking and became a Financial Advisor for Merrill. Sure he is a "sales man" to a degree but he makes a shit load of money and takes off an entire month each year. He makes his own hours and runs his own show. It comes down to a lifestyle choice.

My point if you are sure banking is the way go for Stern. However, UCLA is a great school and will take you where you want to go in the long run. At the end of the day, it's great to have the problem you are facing.

Best Luck

 

Guys, thanks so much for your advices. I found out about wallstreetoasis yesterday and absolutely loves it. After wondering around the forum, I found out that I'm a prospect-monkey, not a new monkey. lol. please bear with the wrong title.

Themilkman, you got me. I don't even know what IB is really about or what I would be doing as a banker. I don't know if I would be able to survive in the super-competitive environment, but I AM genuinely interested in the industry.

My top mid-term goal is to work as an analyst (if I can get an offer) for a few years and then decide if I can take it. I'm leaning toward Stern for this reason. But again, it is such a huge commitment--cost is a big factor in my consideration and going to Stern will make me feel more obligated and pressured to break into the industry and stick to it.

 

Everyone on here always says cost isn't a factor blah blah blah... and it wouldn't be if you had to decide between say Harvard and University of Iowa. But UCLA and Stern are pretty comparable schools, close enough in status that cost is very relevant. If you're a cali resident, i think it might be well worth it for you to go there. UCLA is a school that will definitely take you places if you bust your ass, which you're obviously planning on doing at whichever school you end up at. You also need to consider whether or not you want to live on the east or west coast after college.

My vote is for UCLA, it is a better overall school and I would expect a better college experience. And on a semi-related note, Rick Neuheisel is a complete badass and I'm expecting good things from UCLA's football program next year

 

If you're really interested in finance and think you'd be happy living in NY, go w/ NYU. The exposure you get living in Manhattan and being near WS is just unparalleled.

They're 2 totally different schools that will give you completely different lifestyles.

It might help to think about why you're leaving your current university, and then choose the school that best fills those voids.

 

Hey, how much financial aid did you get from Stern? I got accepted as a transfer also, but my package is pretty bad. PM me if you don't want to post it publicly.

 

I actually go to UCLA and feel that it is significantly harder to break into the NY branches mainly because they don't recruit on campus for those positions; you'd have to post your resume online and hope for the best. We do have the regional branches of the BB come to campus and recruit and the large MM.

I know that Moelis & Co., Healthcare, and Tech/TMT do recruit straight from UCLA, so that's definitely a plus.

Sports are badass here. Social is good. Girls are even better.

Good talk.

 

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