Would it be dumb to turn down Princeton for Dartmouth?

Princeton? It's a noticeable name brand advantage but you're still in the ivy league.

You also don't have to make the choice yet it sounds like. Apply and see if you really have the choice. If you don't, I'd take Princeton.

And yes the school as a whole may be very cutthroat but both colleges are large enough that I guarantee you'll be able to find a niche there.

Also for future reference should have been posted in the schools section, sicne the question doesn't pertain directly to IB.

yes it would be dumb, though not nearly as dumb as the guy who turned down all ivy league schools for U. Alabama..

They're both ivy league schools so really it isn't as pronounced of a difference as some may claim. I'd go to Princeton if given the choice though for personal preferences because they also have a world-class masters in finance program. Maybe IlliniProgrammer can offer some advice on Princeton.

I would say get into Dartmouth first before you really start making this decision. That being said Princeton is a stronger school for recruitment, and you'll probably enjoy your time more at Dartmouth. You have to weigh the cost of having less fun and the cost of somewhat stronger recruitment prospects.

If you can't get a good job coming out of Dartmouth, then the problem would be you and not the school. Do whatever you want, if you get accepted. Both schools are great.

Go to whoever gives you better financial aid. No point taking out debt or more debt than you have to for undergrad.

If that is not an issue, go with whatever school you like more, the difference between recruiting at Princeton and Dartmouth would be pretty negligible. Dartmouth is one of those few schools that has megafund PE and major Hedge funds OCR, you won't limit yourself by going there. Eventually you will see that getting a good job is MUCH more a function and reflection of you as a candidate than the school name on your resume.

In many ways, Princeton and Dartmouth are much more similar to each other than the other Ivys. Both are more rural and much more undergrad focused, where the schools resources aren't getting funneled off to support the big grad schools.

Alumni networks are also very receptive at both places, so no advantage at either. You can't go wrong, so this is a rich man's problem, but also remember that college admissions are such a crapshoot that there is no guarantee at all that you will get into Dartmouth. Just apply and figure it out from there.

No offense, but this is a pretty retarded question. The drop off in OCR/alumni benefits are not at all significant enough to warrant this question - a few searches should've revealed that.

Go to the school where you'll kill it. That's seriously what matters. Being unhappy and unfulfilled - traits that manifest in your GPA, ability to network with alumni, extracurricular accomplishments (that often require support of your peers), etc. - matter much more than marginal increases in prestige. I can attest for a fact that if you do well at Dartmouth, anything is possible.

The only caveat may be if you're looking to study something like engineering. You may be better off at Princeton in that case, but I could be wrong. (Pretty sure engineering requires another year at Dartmouth.0

Reputation and everything aside, Dartmouth just sounds baller as fuck i don't know why

Is this a trick question

Pick Dartmouth. Princeton has a brand advantage, places better, and probably will have better academics. That being said, if you are happier at Dartmouth, that is where you should go. This would be different if you were deciding between a non-target and Princeton, but Dartmouth does get recruiting (albeit less so than Princeton). Dartmouth also has some of the most loyal alumni in the country. On paper, Princeton is the clear choice here, but some times what's on paper does not matter as much.

A few questions just to vet the preference for Dartmouth:

1.) Have you visited campus at Princeton? 2.) Any difference in financial aid? 3.) Have you looked at a top tier state school like UVA, UMich, UT Austin, Berkeley, UW Madison, or Illinois? If it can save your parents some money, all of these schools have engineering programs that outrank most of the Ivy League. Students there will be even more down to earth, the opportunities coming out of engineering at a school like UIUC would be comparable to Princeton (at least in tech and trading), and it could save your parents a couple hundred thousand dollars if one of those schools is in-state. 4.) Competitiveness does not end in college. If you go to a Big Ten state school or even to Dartmouth and wind up in banking, you will have to deal with a culture that is a little bit tilted in favor of Harvard and Yale. It may bug you or it may not.

Coming from UIUC undergrad, I honestly think that the differences between Dartmouth and Princeton are pretty subtle. Namely, both are very elite schools with lots of rich kids and lots of competitiveness (this is more true at the undergrad level than in grad school). The crazy competitiveness will get a little bit nuttier among kids who are aiming for consulting and finance (however this is true at every school, even UIUC). Both have really big networks and both can get you into finance. And the actual differences in outcomes are minute to the extent they exist.

But before you turn down Princeton, visit campus. Climb Cleveland Tower. Drive down Mercer Road. Have lunch in the cafeteria. Imagine how much fun we have at Halloween-- or what it's like to have a motorcycle around campus with all of the roads to check out. Take the train to NYC, and imagine going clubbing with a bunch of classmates or going to an interview at a bank.

There's really little difference between Dartmouth and Princeton in terms of culture, career outcomes, and prestige. They're both Ivy League schools. One is in an NYC suburb; the other is more rural. Both have competitive assholes and douchebags; both have awesome people, too. I don't think you can choose wrong-- you're deciding between a Wisconsin Granny Smith apple and a Michigan Granny Smith apple. Very slightly different flavors but basically the same apple.

This is an important decision but don't overthink about it. And... if you'll excuse my reach over your grocery cart, I need to pick up a few red delicious apples. Have a nice day.

Not true. The world revolves around Wall Street. I would never hire a doctor into IBD with Alabama on his resume. If that's his plan for breaking in... just lol.

In all seriousness great post. There are so many industries- engineering, tech, medicine, where prestige doesn't matter but student loans sure as hell do.

To the people mentioning financial aid- Ivies will match other Ivies' financial aid packages, as well as those of most of the top 25 schools

Pick the one with better financial aid and which you like more after visiting. Princeton may have the slightest brand advantage if you decide to leave finance, but other than that you should pick on $$ and culture.

FWIW, when I was applying to colleges I toured the Ivys and personally thought the ones with the biggest tools were Harvard, Wharton, and Princeton. Dartmouth kids tried a little too hard to be "fratty", but were good guys.

Moral of the story is: same opportunities at both.

I am perfectly happy to throw the undergrads under the bus as being pathologically competitive, but among the MFins, I was probably the most competitive person in that program. By definition, anyone more competitive than me is pathologically competitive, and anyone less competitive than me is laid back, lol. At the graduate level, nobody cares about grades and there's a little less uncertainty about what job you'll wind up with. It was also a small program, and at the graduate level you don't spend all day going from English class to Calculus to Physics and interacting with 1000 other students-- you see the same 40 people every day (or fewer in some PhD programs), and you'd better play nice.

I remember going to a recruiting session at McKinsey and we form groups to talk to some of the employees. One of them goes around the circle asking folks what they enjoyed doing for fun. Someone mentions crew, lacrosse, the guy ahead of me says he's into aviation and cessnas and the like. I'm up- "no kidding I'm into aviation too- I fly hang gliders." The kid panics like it's some sort of competition, butts back in and starts talking about aerobatics and how he's about to fly this 1960s french fighter jet trainer to Oshkosh (but he hasn't flown it yet). Ok, whatever. And congrats, you must have a really rich Dad.

I think there are people like that everywhere, especially in undergrad. It's probably worse at the Ivies, and I'd argue it might be worse at Columbia than it is at Princeton.

I do get the whole competitiveness thing. I think there is some risk of banking turning into a screwed-up William Muir chicken experiment.

https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_why_it_s_time_to_forget_th…

OP- I went to Dartmouth and successfully went through recruiting. Message me if you have questions. While I don't know much about Princeton's recruiting, I can assure you that you won't be foregoing any opportunities by going to Dartmouth. The quality of firms that interview at Dartmouth and the alumni network is top tier.

Also, I'm obviously incredibly biased, but if you felt like you fit in when visiting, you'll probably have the time of your life here.

FWIW, if you DO get into Dartmouth know that it is one of the most represented schools on Wall Street and in IB (I'm assuming you knew this and have already done your research). Since the network's also killer you'd be at no disadvantage. I understand the allure of a once in a lifetime brand (HYPSM + Oxbridge), but trust me, as someone with a rather pedestrian background and a non-target undergrad-getting the best grades and having the career you like > incremental differences in school prestige. That's why it's almost always more important to pick the school where you'll be happiest (assuming the gulf between them isn't cavernous).

As the rest of the posters said Princeton may have a slight brand advantage but Dartmouth is absolutely one of most represented schools on Wall Street. Some people might disagree with me, but Dartmouth actually has better finance recruiting at the undergrad level. That said, if you go to Princeton knowing you want to do finance, it shouldn't be too hard to position yourself for what you want after graduating if you put in some work.

Dartmouth also has a quarter system so there is advantage of doing off-cycle internships which can turn into summer and full-time offers. Take the one where you fit in best. No one will fault you for picking Dartmouth.