<p>I'm currently deciding between NYU Stern and WUSTL Olin. If costs were the same I would likely pick Stern, but because the financial aid is so much better at WUSTL, it would cost me over 20k more per year to attend NYU. I know that I would have better opportunities and job placement at NYU simply because of the great location, butI figure the quality of academics would be about the same if not better at WUSTL. So my question is, do you guys think it is worth it to spend 80k+ to go to Stern over Olin? Have you guys felt that you had enough opportunities in St. Louis regarding business?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.olin.wustl.edu/docs/WCC/EmploymentBSBA.pdf[/url]”>http://www.olin.wustl.edu/docs/WCC/EmploymentBSBA.pdf</a></p>
<p>I’d say Olin does a pretty good job.</p>
<p>Pocket change to some is fortune to others. But, I haven’t met one family who thinks $80K is pocket change. So, it really depends on your family situation. Pocket change: NYU. Fortune: WashU.</p>
<p>[Best</a> Undergraduate Business Schools 2012 - Businessweek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>We jumped something like 12 ranks in the past year, and it’s only going to keep going up. I’m a b-schooler and love it. We have recruiters come in from all over, as well as random companies come and watch our mandatory case competitions – it’s a great way to find employment, and honestly, the Olin school here can’t be beat.</p>
<p>synth - that’s actually the ranking that worries me. though olin’s top 10 placement is great, i cant help but be troubled by the grade all the way to the right in that graph: job placement. almost every other school in the top 15 or so has an A+, while Olin has a B. Can you talk a little bit more about how much the school helps you find jobs/internships?</p>
<p>I’m a tour guide and know university-wide we have a >90% placement rate within a year of graduation – I’m not familiar with what it is for Weston (the b-school career center) specifically, but I’d hazard a guess it’s around there.</p>
<p>And of the dozen to two dozen b-school alum I know, no one has had trouble finding internships or a job after graduation.</p>
<p>Something else I’d point out is fit. Both are excellent schools, but NYU is gigantic in comparison and definitely has a different feel. You should factor in how much you feel at home on each campus into your decision</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your help, synth. I’m heading down for Olin Spotlight in a couple of weeks, and hopefully I’ll fall in love with the school so much that it’ll be an easy decision! I guess another main factor here is that I’m pretty much set on the fact that I want to work in the Northeast, around New York, and obviously Stern has a much stronger base there.</p>
<p>You’d be surprised 
we have a number of people go to Sachs and other large NY firms every year. And if you’re visiting on a Saturday, I might be your tour guide 
good luck and hope you enjoy it.</p>
<p>Hey synth: one more question. Do you know if most people at Olin seek out jobs in the Northeast? I noticed in the pdf that 25% go on to work in that region, and I was wondering if that was because other are simply unable to land jobs there or if it’s just because they prefer to stay in the Midwest.</p>
<p>heretoask,
I have 2 older kids who did not go to name brand B-schools. Both currently work in NYC in the financial sector mainly due to the summer internships that they did in their second and third summers of college. The internships were secured on their own: no career placement; just sheer determination and volume of job applications. </p>
<p>Also, one of my kids turned down Stern because of the cut-throat atmosphere that was observed.</p>
<p>As a b-schooler, the environment really is collaborative (most of the introductory classes have mandatory group assignments – you really can’t be cutthroat in a group).</p>
<p>And a large portion do go to the northeast. I’d say the reason a lot stay in the midwest is 1) it really is nice living here and 2) a large portion of the student body is from the midwest. It’s proportional, I’d say.</p>
<p>If I (currently) had a choice of places to live after graduation, it’d probably be Massachusetts (where I’m from) then GA/FL (fam there/go there for breaks, love the atmosphere) then Missouri/Illinois (really friendly people, good atmosphere).</p>
<p>So many Wash U grads (especially Olin kids) work in NYC/general northeast. Geographic ties are not important when looking for a job in NYC. All the big I-Banks, consulting firms, accounting firms recruit and have interview days on campus here. Not that I’m encouraging you to work for a big investment bank (because I certainly am not), but if you want to do something like that, Wash U will not at all be a hindrance to your efforts. </p>
<p>The most important question to ask yourself is do you want to live on a beautiful campus with amazing people/community that’s part of a larger city for 4 years… or, do you just want to spend 4 years living in the middle of a large city.</p>
<p>Thanks for the post, flash. Right now I am leaning towards WUSTL, and hopefully I can make a definite decision once I visit. My parents seem to think that Stern will have an overwhelmingly greater number of business opportunities and I’m having trouble convincing them otherwise, as many of their friends seem to be under the same impression. Perhaps the greatest downside to Olin is its lack of name recognition. That might not be true in other areas, but it certainly is here.</p>
<p>I’ll be at Olin spotlight too! I’ll have two casts on so find me :)</p>
<p>I am a WashU grad working in Fixed Income. In general, NYU has much better placement on the street if that is where you want to go (WashU is semi-target). That being said, it’s not really worth 80K+ for reasons that flashmountain stated. Just get a high GPA, network a bit, and you should be fine. I won’t lie though, our placement at BBs seem to be much lower then it would be at NYU, but that might just be because only a 1/3 of us end up in finance?</p>
<p>Also, ignore the rankings, its all hype. Did Olin really improve so much over the course of the year to jump 12 places? Very doubtful. What I can tell you though is that the education they give at olin is top notch and will allow you to compete competitively with candidates from harvard etc.</p>