Help me decide! NYU Stern vs. Brown vs. Caltech...

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi guys :) this is my first post!
OK, so my question is simple: which college do you think I should choose?
Let me preface my list of acceptances a little bio: I am very committed to business, specifically finance, and I definitely want to work on Wall Street (M&A, i-banking, trading) after undergrad. I am also interested in pursuing and MBA later on, or perhaps a PhD, if I'm lucky enough to get accepted into a top PhD program out of undergrad (Side question: MBA vs. PhD?). I am not nearly as interested in or captivated by engineering - though I think I could do well in it if I worked hard, it's not where my heart is. Oh, and I'm an asian girl, class of 2014 (obviously haha)</p>

<p>So my acceptances (minus safeties)
- NYU Stern
- Caltech
- Brown
- Cornell (Engineering)
- UChicago
- Northwestern (Engineering
- Michigan (Ross Pre-admit)
- UCal Berkeley</p>

<p>Just a side-note: Triple-waitlisted: Columbia, Stanford, Penn (Wharton) :( Not counting on getting off any of those lists, though if a miracle did happen, Wharton would be my #1. </p>

<p>OK a few important details:
- Money is not an issue for my parents.
- My father thinks business is too challenging for a girl (long workweeks, relatively low income for many years, stress, etc.) and thus prefers engineering or even economics over finance.
- I do know that with a great engineering degree, transferring into the business world is not difficult, but again, I would prefer to study business
- Sorry to be an un-stereotypical Asian, but prestige is not of the utmost importance to me. I want a top-notch education and challenging experience. The way I see it, Ivies will get your foot in the door, but its up to you and your knowledge to push the rest of your body in.
- The campus experience is also not very important to me. Beautiful lawns and fun football games are great, but I don't think my physical environment will affect my overall success and happiness.
- I am strongest in Math, English, and World Languages. Second to that is probably sciences: chem, then physics/bio. I do NOT like history very much lol. </p>

<p>Quick stats: 2380 SAT (800 M, 800 CR, 780 W)</p>

<p>My top choice: NYU Stern. Competitive (albeit allegedly cut-throat) atmosphere. Many potential internships/connections, great student body (i know, lots of asians...but great stats and lots of northeasterners, which i think will help me fit in better). And NYC! Greatest campus in the world! ;) And though I'm a Jersey girl, I know much of NYC pretty well - I know what I'm getting myself into. I know prestige-wise, NYU itself is not up to par with many of the other schools on my list; it could probably be considered a "second tier school." But I love it, and I think I could be both happy and successful there (despite all the horrid rumors about Sternies haha). :) If I work very hard (probably double-major Finance/Econ or a Dual Degree, CAS Econ/Applied Math although I've heard that's nearly impossible) I think I also have a shot at a good PhD program, and if not, then a top MBA program after a few years of work. </p>

<p>My parents, on the other hand, want Brown. Most prestigious, by most standards. They want me to do Economics and maybe Financial Engineering (How similar is that, exactly, to Finance?) there, and say I'll have the same opportunities, if not more, than I would at Stern. Don't get me wrong; I love Brown. Who wouldn't? Stunning campus, awesome, laid-back but really intelligent kids, Emma Watson! (HARRY POTTER FTW!) But I want to be in a very focused and very driven atmosphere, with kids who are different than me but ultimately share most of my career/future aspirations. For many kids, Brown's laid-back attitude towards taking courses and exploring your options is very appealing; but for me, I think it is a con. To be honest, I don't think I'm enough of an out-of-the-box thinker for Brown, and I don't think I would fit in as well there or excel as quickly there as I would at Stern.</p>

<p>Sorry this post is so long! haha I hope at least a few people have the patience to read through it and give me some advice! Please try not to give me "if I were you" advice; please try to advise me based on MY personality and goals. </p>

<p>Thanks so much!!! And good luck to everyone else trying to decide on a college!!!</p>

2

<p>IMO, given your self-profiling,</p>

<p>Choose between:</p>

<p>Chicago (major in economics)
Stern</p>

<p>in that order.</p>

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<p>those are all really prestigious colleges, but i don’t think that you should so immediately “write off” the social experience that you will receive at each.
You are about to embark on the greatest 4 years of your life, and you won’t be able to get them back after the fact. If you constantly work and never play/rest, much like a machine under the same stress, you will break down.
All I’m suggesting is to think a little more carefully about pursuing such a rigorous, lackluster college experience, because you will most likely regret it in the future.</p>

4

<p>here is your path:</p>

<p>CalTech </p>

<p>then</p>

<p>Stanford/Harvard Business School</p>

5

<p>Gauging from your interest and personality, you would do well in M&A, IB, S&T.
So forget engineering. The schools including your safeties that would best get your foot in the door for wall street is:

  1. Wharton
  2. Columbia
  3. Chicago
  4. Stern</p>

<p>As far as MBA vs PhD, these two seemingly odd choices. If you want to stay in finance and move up in the ranks, you obviously need an MBA. A PhD (in what field?) is pretty much useless for your field of interest, unless you want to go in academia. In that case, a PhD in business isn’t as useful as industry experience in becoming a business school professor.</p>

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<p>wow, that’s really a tough one. I wouldn’t agree with either of your first choices! :)</p>

<p>I’m included to recommend Caltech IF you love the challenge of long nights with huge problem sets. That is a huge commitment, and a dear cost if you don’t love it.</p>

<p>or Chicago, Econ major with a math or physics or some other complementary quant minor.</p>

<p>You cannot really make a wrong choice here. I just don’t know how to recommend Stern … it just falls sort of flat for me, but that’s just me. Oh, and please tell your parents that for Econ or Finance, Chicago is the most prestigious of your options, followed by Columbia (wait listed). Brown is not on the map, and Caltech is an entirely different doorway into Wall St.</p>

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<p>@Recharge
Thanks for responding! In your opinion, why does UChicago beat out NYU Stern? Would the story be different if say, I did a double major at Stern (finance + econ, fairly common at NYU) or dual degree (stern finance + cas applied math)? </p>

<p>@bostonsox0151
You make a very valid and important point. I will try, to the absolute best of my ability to make friends and reserve time for having fun. :slight_smile: Academics are first, but happiness is a damn close second for me. I have a LOT of hobbies - piano, violin, fencing, listening to music (I like all kinds, from pop to rock to rap, and for me, that would be one of the advantages of living in NYC - amazing concerts! NYU even provides discounted tickets to its students for great experiences like Broadway.), TV shows (LOST SEASON SIX! haha), even cosmetics! Thanks so much for your concern. :)</p>

<p>@JohnAdams12 and @DunninLA
Thank you very much for your advice! Quite frankly, I don’t think I could handle Caltech haha…it’s an amazing school, but from almost all accounts I’ve heard (including two siblings of my friends) extremely challenging/demanding for even the brightest of students.</p>

<p>@liu02bhs
Thanks for the list! My list of acceptances was NOT in order of my preference haha…basically for me it’s Stern at the top, the rest debatable since my majors/career paths would be very different. As for the PhD program, my mother (PhD in economics, SUNY) is very enthusiastic about it. Firstly, there’s a good chance I will not have to pay the $100k that top MBA programs require - my mom got her PhD fully paid for by teaching. Secondly, she reasons that since a PhD takes 4 years to complete and an MBA takes 2 years with at LEAST 2-4 years prior work experience, I will not only have less debt, but I will be younger when I decide to “truly begin my career.” I think her points are valid. However, I’m not sure how differently PhD’s and MBA’s are perceived/valued in the business world, as well as the ratio of PhD’s to MBA’s on Wall Street. </p>

<p>@EVERYONE
THANKS AGAIN FOR RESPONDING (and so quickly! haha). Could you guys please give me some background info on yourselves? Just as much as you feel comfortable with, I’d just like to know where your opinions come from. :)</p>

<p>Also: What are my chances of getting into a top MBA program (HBS, Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, Sloan) if I attend NYU Stern for undergrad? Of course I know getting into a great MBA depends on a LOT of things - work experience among those - but does anyone know how going to Stern/Brown/Chicago/Caltech affects my chances of attending a good MBA?</p>

<p>And one final thing: Can anyone find any data for Wall Street recruitment in terms of which universities they most heavily recruit from? From my research, both qualitative (rankings by tier) and quantitative (# of interns at ML07, for example), NYU Stern is more heavily recruited than Brown for most fields of business (especially i-banking), because although Brown is a respectable ivy, it is not one of the major target schools for recruitment. </p>

<p>THANKS SO MUCH!
I really look forward to hearing more from you guys!</p>

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<p>The reason Brown is not as heavily recruited at as some other schools is simply because there aren’t as many students interested in pursuing finance there, Brown grads are just much much more likely to go to law school, med school, teach for america, etc than look for a job at wall street. This could be a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. It’s a pro because you don’t face as fierce competition from the people at your own school for internships and jobs. At a place like NYU Stern, a huge majority of the students will be fighting for the same positions. You also get the intellectually broadening experience of being among piers with vastly different academic interests and career goals. It could be a con though if you feel like you need to be around people with the same ambitions as you in order to stay focused. In the end, both are fantastic for landing jobs on wall street, so just go to the one that YOU like better.</p>

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<p>just fyi, the number one employer of brown undergrads is goldman sachs - all of the major banks and consultancies recruit directly on campus.
also, brown is hardly a cakewalk (with the exception of a very small minority who decide they want it to be - the same minority that exists at most schools). most work very hard, a small subset even take advantage of the open curriculum to triple major.
at this point it’s silly to stereotype schools. you should visit the places you got it, and then go with your gut.</p>

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<p>Brown, you lucky one!!!</p>

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<p>Go with what your heart tells you, as long as its financially feasible. Everyone has their own biases on this board (Uchicago, Caltech, Brown, etc) including me, but the only bias that should matter should be your own. If you didn’t already have a top choice for yourself, I would suggest something, but asking or suggesting that you turn down the chance to mature and advance yourself in New York City is really like turning down a once in a lifetime opportunity.</p>

<p>Are those other schools you listed excellent? Yes. But you are correct in assuming the experience at NYU Stern is not going to be easily replicated at the other schools. I have a very good friend at NYU Stern who this year, in his Sophomore year, has already landed an invest banking position at Goldman Sachs. This UNDERGRADUATE SOPHOMORE is now already working with MBAs from Wharton, Harvard, NYU Stern Grad, etc. I doubt many undergrads at a lot of these other institutions can brag about that.</p>

<p>NYC is an awesome experience, but as always visit these colleges. Some might enjoy the fact that NYU has no core campus (which isn’t actually true, as all buildings are situated around a make-shift quad aka Washington Square Park) and encourages integration and exploration of the city of New York, while others might hate it and would rather eat dorm food and play frisbee on the lawn. Neither one is better than the other. The ultimate deciding factor should be you :)</p>

12

<p>I say you go to Chicago because it has an amazing economics program - one of the best in the country. A Chicago dual degree in economics/mathematics is probably more effective than a Stern double major in the eyes of recruiters.</p>

<p>Chicago is also a very lively city -also one of the greatest in the U.S.- that I’m sure you would love to explore.</p>

<p>Granted, if you are really passionate about studying business as an undergrad and truly love New York, then the difference between attending Chicago and NYU is somewhat negligible. In other words, if NYU is really your “fit” school, then go there and excel.</p>

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<p>Looks like Stern is right for you! Good luck!</p>

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<p>First of all this “My father thinks business is too challenging for a girl” is unfortunate. That aside. I say CHICAGO and here is why. 1) You want to be around “driven” students - I would put Chicago Students up against any in the country in that regard. 2) You are strongest in languages and english - Chicago will offer you top notch experiences in both areas and THESE are IMPORTANT in the business world especially in an increasingly global economy (language) in an era (sadly) where writing skills are in decline. 3) It is still TOP NOTCH in economics, but also speaks to your diverse intellectual tastes and pursuits in ways that NYU and Cal Tech do not. </p>

<p>I must be frank, I get the sense that you have a range of interests and aren’t 100% sold on what exactly you will be doing. I just don’t think you should tie yourself to a business or engineering program. Go to a place where you can explore and still be with the “driven” crowd of students you desire to be with. I think Chicago offers all of that.</p>

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<p>I know this is a 4 year old post but I’m REALLY interested in your choice, so could you tell me? Thanks (:</p>

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<p>WT*</p>

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<p>Chicago</p>

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<p>LOL, yes it is one in a million that the OP will reply. But let’s have some fun and see. If not, this will sink away on its own.</p>

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<p>@TSchaser‌ - Now that’s mysterious. Who are you?</p>

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<p>A random @fallenchemist. Her name is chichi2014, this post was in 2010. Chi is an endearing shortened form for Chicago, this year would be her graduating year. Figured that she came here knowing what she would want, and made it her username. The lack of posts kinda suggests this. </p>