Undergrad: Help me choose college- Please (UNC-CH vs USC vs UW-Madison vs UW-Milwaukee)

Hi all,
I am an international choosing to decide where to go to college next year. Sorry for the poor english now.
My options are University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, and University of Wisconsins. UNC is 29k a year, USC is 49k a year, and UW is 55k a year for my family. I am thankful of my family that I will not need to take a debt for any choice. My question is, just based on which will give me highest chance to break into investment banking, which school should I choose? I don't care much for other factors, just mainly recruiting for IB(also maybe MBB).

 

I think your choice here is mainly a geography one. I don't think MBB will happen for you at any of those schools, but IB can (at UW-Madison and not UW-Milwaukee). Preference should probably go to which area you'd like to work in after graduation honestly. UNC will put you in the Mid-Atlantic, USC West Coast, and UW-Madison will likely make you end up in Chicago.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 
Best Response

USC is the better school here, not even close to UNC and the Wisconsin ones. It will give you great ops on the West Coast. UNC is decent, and has a strong alumni network on the East Coast. Would definitely avoid the Wisconsin schools. So question is: where do you want to live and work after graduation? You should also visit both schools and get a feeling for the campus/city (Downtown LA for USC, small college town for UNC).

 

i can't believe people are advising you to take wisconsin over UNC and USC. I wouldn't take wisconsin if it was the cheapest of the three and in this case it's the most expensive. USC is the best option here if you're good with staying on the west coast, by far the most pull in its region of your choices. UNC is also a good choice given its 20K cheaper than USC.

 

Hey intl400,

I can try and speak a bit as to what you can expect from UNC with respect to consulting/banking opportunities. Sorry if this isn't very structured, I kind of just wrote down things as they came to me.

Saw your posts Reddit as well. It makes things a lot easier that you're a US citizen (you definitely should have clarified that in all of the posts you made).

Consulting

  • First thing you need to realize is that MBB is going to be competitive anywhere you go. You'll have a fair amount of competition from some pretty sharp kids for a limited # of spots.

  • For UNC, check LinkedIn for specific numbers (people love to shit on this title but it sure is helpful for stuff like this - "incoming [firm name]").

    • Thinking of seniors I know who made into MBB though off the top of my head: ~5-6 @ McKinsey, ~3-5 @ Bain, ~3-5 @ BCG. A good chunk (~1/2?) of those were Morehead-Cain, Robertson, or GLOBE Scholars - the first two groups of kids are the most sought after by any cream of the crop WSO firm who comes to campus (GS, MBB, DE Shaw, etc.) The other chunk will tend to have very solid ECs (high club leadership roles with actual impact, entrepreneurial experience, etc.)
  • Easiest route to getting these jobs is prob via the B-school as it serves as a pretty clear signal. Make sure you double major it with something else. They also just added $2k a year in fees for majoring in business.

    • Even if you decide not to go that route, it definitely doesn't shut you out of most of the consulting options at UNC. Some other firms that recruit here that come to mind (that I've also seen placements in NY for) are: Deloitte (Commercial S&O, Federal HC), ACN?, IBM, EY, PWC, Prophet. I'm definitely missing some but I'm pretty sure our Career Services calendar is public so you can look this up too.
    • I know you're gunning for NYC, but just keep in mind that UNC has its strongest connections with the offices in CLT/ATL, DC, then NYC. Dallas too for BCG.
    • In terms of resources, there's a shit ton. Like, if you're not a lazy bum, somewhat intelligent, open to improving yourself, and proactice, I think you have a strong shot at getting a job you'll be happy with.
    • Application only consulting class in the B-school that firms look very favorably upon (also a good way to build a strong network with the other students who will go on to MBBD etc.). Was one of my all-time favorite classes at Carolina.
    • B-school consulting club has a "bootcamp" every fall for networking with various firms, learning the basics, etc. They also hold 2-3 Firm Treks in CLT and ATL every year where you visit MBB + other offices. They'll also pair you up with other students to practice casing, etc.
    • Case competitions held throughout the year. B-school has a travelling team to visit other colleges for competitions. Pretty sure we place well.
    • The MBA students hold regular "office hours" for you to practice anything from casing, behavioral interviews, resume review, networking practice, etc.
    • There are 2 business fraternities (Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Psi) that serve as another way to network, meet like minded people, etc.

Banking

  • You will almost necessarily have to be affiliated with KF for banking. WF in CLT is obviously a huge source of recruiting, and I've seen a couple WF NYC placements too.
  • Not sure how strong S&T has been the last few years... fairly sure it's not as good as it was 4-6 yrs ago.
  • Haha yikes, tbh I'm not all that well-versed in banking recruiting here. We're a pretty friendly place though so if you're really still on the brink just reach out via LinkedIn to some current upperclassmen who seem to have it together or to the B-school career team.

If there are any other Tar Heels hanging around, would love to hear your feedback/thoughts.

 

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