Hello All,
I have spent the last eight years in the military (enlisted) working various administrative type jobs. Now, I want to break into wall street and start a new career. Which institution do you think gives me the best opportunity to work in investment banking or private equity? Would UPenn LPS be better than Cornell AEM?
Thank you in advance for your responses!
How much do they cost?
Cornell AEM and G’town would be my picks actually.
@MYOS1634 My GI Bill should cover the total costs for all of them (at least I’m hoping). Why would you pick Cornell over UPenn LPS and G’town?
Well, G’Town and AEM are similar in terms of placement, but Cornell has more untraditional/transfer students so it may be easier to fit in than at G’town. Obviously G’Town would be excellent too.
Not sure about recruitment from LPS.
Which school do you think has the best alumni? The reason I ask is because I know that alumni help alumni (usually).
Also, I have seen people post about Ivy Socials are those really a thing?
Also, I have been unable to locate anything regards to LPS recruitment. Since LPS students receive the same diploma as the College of Arts and Sciences students, is it safe to assume they are included into the employment section?
@MYOS1634 I greatly appreciate you sharing your wisdom with me!
I would say Cornell has more transfer students, but its transfer students are traditional in the sense they usually went straight from high school to college.
I do not want to speak for other schools…My daughter went to Cornell and went to work at an IB after graduation. My D got her job through on campus recruiting. I remember when she was going through the process, she attended many informational events at various banks sponsored by Cornell alums. Those informational events were selective in that they chose a handful of students from resumes submitted. The events allowed recruiters at those banks to get a first look of applicants they were interested in before they conducted interviews on campus (usually over the winter break). It gave Cornell applicants a leg up relative to other applicants.
Alums at those banks also need to fight hard for their school’s applicants when the recruiter decide where they want to recruit and during the final round on how many applicants they want to take from each school.
IB recruitments are open to most students at Cornell, not just for AEM. I am not sure if it would be open to LPS at UPenn. I would call up their career center to find out. I think Wharton is so strong that other UPenn students may not have as good of chance in getting interviews on campus.
FYI - Cornell career center had very strict rules for both its students and companies. You can find it on their career site.
Yes, Ivy Socials are a thing.
MSB and AEM are your best bet so if you don’t like AEM MSB will be terrific.
@MYOS1634 I have heard a few horror stories about the grading system at Cornell. Do you think this would impact me as an AEM student?
@oldfort thank you for this wisdom. I know two blue people (navy - it’s what we call them) at Cornell and they love it! Did your daughter join any specific groups while at Cornell that would make her stand out as a great candidate in the recruitment process?
No, my daughter didn’t join any clubs related to finance. She just did some related internships. She had fairly good GPA for a math major and I think she interviewed well.
I would choose AEM or Georgetown if costs are not an issue.
Overall, Cornell, Georgetown, and non-Wharton Penn are peers, but at Cornell and Georgetown you’d be in the traditional target programs at those schools. And they offer actual business degrees. If you don’t have to explain why you’re in LPS (which, after all, is easier to get in to than the traditional Penn undergrad programs) rather than a traditional Penn undergrad program, why go through that?
@PurpleTitan I thought about your comment and evaluated the differences between the programs. LPS allows me to join Wharton clubs (verified with admissions), earn the same degree (verified with admissions), and use career services as a non-traditional student (waiting to hear back from admissions on this point). I do see your point though. I’m just looking at all of my options at the moment. I like them all equally for different reasons, and I am still waiting to make a final decision.
Yep, LPS offers a lot, but with LPS, you have to verify what you have because you aren’t in the traditional program. No need to do that with AEM or Georgetown.
I just don’t see what extra benefits LPS gives you if you have AEM and traditional Georgetown MBS as options.
So, for instance, I can see how this could be a tough decision if you were choosing between the traditional business school at BC or even Villanova vs. LPS. Flagship business program at a non-Ivy/equivalent (but not too far below) vs. non-flagship non-business program at an Ivy.
But in this case, you have as options the flagship business programs at Ivies/equivalents. I don’t see what extra benefits a non-flagship non-business program at a peer would provide.
I would go with Georgetown. First because the banking jobs at top ten bank are tougher to land than your admissions. It’s a small universe. You should have a broader view. And you may change your mind along the way. It’s not the be all end all. Really. It’s not. But if you do proceed and get an analyst interview at a bank all of these schools will give you the equivalent leg up. They are all in the dialogue.
And with your military background there may be a lot of opportunity for you in defense contracting and government related industries that abound in va dc and md. Also there may be alums who appreciate your background who have the right contacts to help you with a banking slot (although another two years a boot camp might be a drag at 32 when you start). I think your military background is a huge plus in dc and with all of the transient dc crowd and people your age flocking to gtown the area and dc in general to live , it would be a great social environment too
I would pick Cornell AEM (super selective program within Cornell, so congratulations on your admission).
However, @privatebanker made some good points over why DC might be an optimal area for you. This is a tough choice, but you have some really awesome options.
This is all assuming finances are approximately the same for each school and there are no insurmountable fit issues at any school.
Thank you for your responses!
Have you been accepted at all of these places yet? If you haven’t, this whole discussion could be premature.