For someone looking to pursue a career in Finance, I was wondering which one would be a better option if it came down to choosing between the two. Are they similar in terms of opportunities? Is one a clear choice over the other? Is there even a “wrong” decision to be made?
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You can get into banking from either program, but Cornell–being an Ivy and being located within just a few hours of NYC–is much more of a “target” school for Wall Street in terms of on-campus recruiting.
Given a choice between the two, and assuming that cost considerations were not determinative, and assuming that I felt that I was a “fit” for either campus, I would certainly opt for Cornell over UM.
PS: Cornell’s ILR program is probably an easier admit than Dyson, and it also sends people into finance, so you might want to consider that option if your stats make you doubt your odds of getting into Dyson.
I totally disagree…Cornell is very far from NYC. Worlds away.
Honestly if you want to work in finance in NYC, I’d choose Marist. Gasp.
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Both great options but if you can get into Dyson, I would give that program the edge over Ross. And, totally disagree with the above. Cornell has many many connections in NYC including a much stronger academic presence in the city. http://www.cornell.edu/about/locations/nyc/
Ross places more into IB and consulting.
https://michiganross.umich.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Programs/BBA/pdfs/17_bba_s.pdf
@MrSamford2014 @momofsenior1 What kinds of stats would you need to have to be a competitive applicant for Dyson? I know the acceptance rate is 2.9%. That’s crazy low. Why so selective?
What stats and rigor do you have? What relevant experiences? It’s not enough to pick two colleges, tell your career hopes…and not know the info about admits to these colleges. It’s online.
Maybe not the biz schools, per se, but enough to start to match yourself. Without that, you don’t know how to make your best presentation. Or if you’re qualified.
“Why so selective” is a numbers issue. More apply than they have room for. And the ones they choose meet what the school wants.
Contrary to the common East Coast/private university/Ivy League bias on CC, when it comes to placement, Ross certainly does as well as Dyson.
GOLDMAN SACHS:
Dyson 5
Ross 8
JP MORGAN
Dyson 6
Ross 14
MORGAN STANLEY
Dyson 3
Ross 9
CITIBANK
Dyson 6
Ross 10
DEUTSCHBANK
Dyson 2
Ross 6
BARCLAYS
Dyson 6
Ross 2
BAML
Dyson 5
Ross 1
RBC
Dyson 2
Ross 9
TOTAL
Dyson 35
Ross 59
Ross places roughly twice as many graduates (59 vs 35) in top banks, but it is also roughly twice larger than Dyson (395 graduates vs 212 graduates). I don’t think one program poses a significant advantage over the other. When faced with Cornell and Michigan (Ross/Dyson or otherwise), I recommend going for fit, since both universities are almost identical quality-wise.
https://michiganross.umich.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Community/pdfs/2017_employment_report.pdf (page 9)
@lookingforward How do I know if I am qualified? I am top 15% of my class and have a 1510 SAT. I have taken a lot of AP and Honors classes. I just don’t have any subject test scores over 700, so I’m not sending those. I am taking AP BC right now.
@momofsenior1 What schools with business programs at the undergrad level would you then rank over Cornell?
@MrSamford2014 How do I know if I am qualified? I am top 15% of my class and have a 1510 SAT. I have taken a lot of AP and Honors classes. I just don’t have any subject test scores over 700, so I’m not sending those. I am taking AP BC right now. Does this all quantitatively make you doubt my odds of getting into Dyson?
You don’t have to decide now. Apply to both, see where you get in, consider the cost, and then choose.
You didn’t list your stats in your initial post, so I didn’t know what they were. I was simply trying to point out that if–given your stats (whatever they happened to be)–you regarded Dyson as a super-reach, you might also consider applying to ILR. I believe that the Hotel School also places some kids into finance, though it has very particular admissions requirements that favor applicants who have some experience working in hospitality.
According to the most recently available Common Data Set listed on the Cornell website, the middle 50% SAT range of students enrolling in Fall 2017 was 1390-1550. (These figures are for Cornell as a whole. Some schools–e.g., Arts and Sciences–will probably tend towards the higher end of the scale, while others will tend towards the lower end.) Your score of 1510 puts you squarely in the frame. Of course, your application would be stronger if it could be supported with [optional] 700+ subject test scores, but assuming that your GPA is high (top 15% is a bit vague), your course load rigorous (and it sounds as though it has been), your essays compelling, and your letters of recommendation good, you should have a reasonable chance of admission.
Note, however, that at a reach school like Cornell, “reasonable” is still fairly low. Hence, if you are deeply committed to attending, you should definitely consider applying ED. It’s a numbers game, and ED increases your odds.
Given a choice between the two, and assuming that cost considerations were not determinative, and assuming that I felt that I was a “fit” for either campus, I would certainly opt for UM over Cornell.
“What schools with business programs at the undergrad level would you then rank over Cornell?”
Only Wharton would be considered “better”. But different business schools have different strengths.
For those interested in careers in finance, and who wish to work on Wall Street, Dyson is very good. I would give Wharton the edge, and Sloan (MIT), Ross (Michigan), Stern (NYU), McDonough (Georgetown) and McIntire (UVa) equal footing to Cornell.
@rjkofnovi Based on other threads I have read, you seem to be an avid supporter of UM, especially over Cornell. Could you please elaborate on what makes UM more appealing to you? Does Dyson not have better ties to Wall Street than does Ross?
NYU-Stern & UPenn-Wharton probably are considered the best for undergraduate finance major.
@Publisher Between Dyson and Ross, what would you say?
I would give a slight nod to Dyson, but it’s the Ivy League’s hardest admit at 2.7%.
Both are excellent and if you’re lucky enough to be accepted to both, I would make the decision based on fit. If you do well and are on-the-ball from a networking standpoint, you’ll have desirable interviews and, if you don’t blow those, offers.
The last time I checked Wall Street Oasis, this was a generally-agreed-upon hierarchy of wall street target schools:
- Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Wharton
- Stern, Columbia, Stanford, Cornell, Dartmouth
- Duke, Chicago, Northwestern, Brown, Ross, McCombs, Haas, Kelley...
Beyond that, I don’t know. I imagine other strong public and private Business, Finance, Econ programs draw attention from Wall Street – CMU, Emory, USC, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Wash U, Vandy, UNC, UVA, the UWs, etc. But I think the schools I listed above are probably targeted the most, and whether one goes to Ross or Dyson, there will be opportunities.
“I imagine other strong public and private Business, Finance, Econ programs draw attention from Wall Street – CMU, Emory, USC, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Wash U, Vandy, UNC, UVA, the UWs, etc.”
I would add Rice to that list. While Rice doesn’t have a business major, and while it doesn’t place many kids directly onto Wall Street (though my daughter has a friend who interned at GS NYC), almost all of the major Houston IBs–from BBs to boutiques–do on-campus recruiting and on-campus first-round interviews. Given Houston’s key role in the high-stakes global energy industry, the city has become a major player in finance, and Rice grads place well at the Houston banks. (Of course, there are many more UT grads at these banks, but UT is much larger than Rice, it has many more students interested in finance, and applicants face much more competition from fellow students in landing interview slots in the first place.)
If the OP is keen on getting to Wall Street per se, he should be aware that one possible route involves attending a non-WS-target school, breaking into finance at a regional hub, and then seeking an internal transfer to the NYC office. Examples would include Rice → Houston IB → NYC IB, Emory → Charlotte/Atlanta IB → NYC IB, WashU → Chicago IB → NYC IB, etc.
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