Vanderbilt or Penn (not Wharton) for MBB placement?

High school senior athlete potentially deciding between Vanderbilt and Penn (non Wharton). Would like to work for an MBB branch preferably in the south but I'm flexible on location. At Vanderbilt, I would be an Economics and HOD double major while at Penn I would only major in Economics in CAS. Assuming Penn's Wharton School is not a possibility, which school would place better?

 

Thank you for the input. I do want to work in the south, and others have said that Vandy = Penn when it comes to recruiting for southern MBB offices, but they might be incorrect. I'm more interested in consulting, but how would Penn vs Vandy compare for IB placement? 

 

When I toured Penn, everyone had their head down and looked intense, in their own world, and kind of depressed. When I asked kids for directions to different buildings, a handful of students ignored me or just nodded and kept walking. It was also mid 50s and drizzling when I visited, and the area surrounding campus did not seem safe for walking at night. 

At Vanderbilt the following weekend, all of the students were very willing to help, the students looked happier, Nashville was cool, and it was high 70s and sunny. SEC sports and a more attractive student body are also pluses. But I know the placement is not as good as Penn so it is hard to justify the pick.

 

Penn places better. Vandy's obviously well-respected, especially in the South, but MBB doesn't have a Nashville office and I don't know how much an on-campus recruiting presence is there. You can recruit from southern offices from Penn.

That being said, as a high school senior, don't make your school choice based solely on the preference of 3 firms. Your college experience matters a lot too--and you might change your mind about what you want to do afterward.

 
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 MBB southern offices do recruit a lot out of vandy. However, choosing a school based off of where certain MBB offices recruit is asinine. Few things to consider:

1. If you don't get MBB, you'll get a lot more looks from T2 firms at Penn. Because T2 firms are much smaller they recruit at a much smaller list of target schools. . Plenty of Vandy kids who just miss out on MBB end up doing big4 nom strategy gigs cuz not all t2 strat firms recruit.  If you're optimizing for consulting opps penn is a clear winner. 

2. Penn is overall a better brand name throughout your life, better alumni network and honestly a more impressive set of classmates. I'm strong believer in the fact that exposure to amazing classmates and diversity of ideas is the main benefit of an elite education- Penn wims on this too

3. The culture at Vandy is hard to beat. From what I hear, it's incredibly friendly and supportive community that nearly everyone there loves. (This is just what I've heard so take with grain of salt). They have a rapidly improving reputation along with really solid recruiting opportunities and a pretty loyal alumni network. Probably less competitive and intense then Penn. So if you really like the culture and think you'll be happy here go to Vandy.

At the end of the day being happy at a school is a big determinant of how well you will perform and what you get out of it. That being said plenty of kids love the high octane work hard play hard environment Penn has to offer and it absolutely can be a great place to go to school and find your community 

 

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