So… I’ve been accepted into Queen’s Commerce, Rotman Commerce, and Sauder Business, and I’m edging towards the first two. I would like to go into Investment Banking after graduation, either in New York or Toronto, and I was wondering if you guys had any insights into which school would be better for IB?
Queen’s Commerce is tied for first with Ivey for their excellent business program. Queen’s also has the QUIC committee, which I’m interested in. However, Toronto University is, without a doubt, the best university in Canada. Is the reputation of the school more important, or the reputation of the program? How well known is Queen’s in the US, and outside of North America?
If I go to UoT, how likely is it that I could either end up in IB or consulting? I heard that a large percentage of UoT business students end up working in accounting, and I’m honestly not really interested in that specialization. How good are placements for students studying commerce at the St George’s campus?
I think Queen’s Commerce is better known (on Wall Street) just based solely on this chart;
http://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2015/02/04/the-top-feeder-schools-to-wall-street/2/
Still however, getting to Wall Street has to be pretty tough from Canada.
Your odds of getting into banking in Toronto are many times better than finding your way to NYC, from undergrad, so I’d focus on that goal. You will find all of those schools represented on Bay Street and I don’t think anyone can say that one school has the edge. Canada is not like the US in that regard, in that there isn’t much of a preference given to one school/program or another, from a large list of reputable schools. Contacts/references, GPA, awards, goals/ambition, quantitative skills, communication skills, all of these factors will prove as important in landing a job as the school name on your diploma. Your 3 options are all solid. Choose based on cost, campus fit, academic program details (that you prefer), location, etc. Note that UBC grads have to work a little harder forging contacts in Toronto, but it can be accomplished with a bit of ambition.