Stanford or Columbia?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hi guys! I am fortunate enough to have been admitted by both Stanford and Columbia, but now I am struggling to make a choice. I am from mainland China and want to major in econ and go into investment banking in the future. Here are several things on my mind right now:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>With my intention to go into I-banking, NYC is just the perfect place to start. The connections and experiences I could acquire in NYC would help me a lot;</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford, in my impression, is more of a school focusing on the sciences, engineering, maths, CS and stuff instead of the arts. I am 99% sure I don't want to and am not able to get into those things considering my intelligence level... </p></li>
<li><p>Stanford is on the west coast and is therefore somewhat "isolated" from where I want to build my future (I love NYC and am pretty sure I will go there after graduation no matter what). I will have to take a more than 4-hour flight just to make an interview in NYC;</p></li>
<li><p>I am Chinese but I don't want to be drowned in a Chinese crowd in college. Considering Columbia's huge Chinese population, I might not get the American education I was expecting;</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford's overall reputation and prestige is higher (plz don't blame me for saying this) and is usually put along with HYP as a top-tier while Columbia on the next level;</p></li>
<li><p>As an international student, Stanford's sense of community might give me a warmer welcoming</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So, 1) Is the reputation of Stanford really higher than that of Columbia? 2) Would Stanford or Columbia be better for a girl who is going into I-banking/ private equity and stuff like that?</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>That’s really a difficult question. I believe Stanford does better in terms of future careers in finance, however, I personally would go to Columbia. Either choice you will be sought after by employers in the investment banking industry.</p>

3

<p>I’d pick Columbia in this case because you’ll have more opportunity by being so close to Wall Street.</p>

4

<p>FYI–all the large Wall Street banks/firms come to Stanford to recruit.</p>

5

<p>Stanford is on a higher level than Columbia. While Columbia is FANTASTIC school, Stanford will get you shock and awe in some communities. Definitely on par with HYP (and lower acceptance rates than two of the three). Either school would be fantastic for finance and economics. Columbia does have an excellent location for those things, but you may want to keep in mind that being a slightly more unique major at a higher-level institution could give you a one-up on Columbia grads.
Like Zenkoan said, job offers will come to you, you don’t necessarily have to go to them.
I’d pick Stanford. The community there is fantastic, and I think you would find it more diverse and, as you suspected, welcoming. The west coast of the U.S. tends to be more laid back and open than the east. If you have a chance to visit, do!</p>

6

<p>This is a Stanford Pick</p>

<p>as mentioned above, Stanford is at a level above Columbia</p>

7

<p>You really can’t go wrong here but Stanford would be best.</p>

8

<p>I don’t think there’s a clear answer to this one. Several comments with regard to the OP: some of the big banks that come to Stanford are recruiting for their San Francisco offices not their New York City offices. Secondly, a disadvantage of Stanford is their quarter system which makes it difficult to accept banking internships which begin in May, when Stanford’s academic year doesn’t end until mid June. Third, regarding diversity, you should be aware that there are plenty of Chinese people at Stanford, and lots in the San Francisco area which has a great Chinatown.</p>

<p>That said, my daughter chose Stanford over 4 Ivies, including Columbia. Several weeks ago she landed an interview with Goldman Sachs, who flew her to New York. So there are definitely banking job opportunities for Stanford students (just not my daughter ): ) In my opinion, Stanford will offer you a nicer campus environment, much better weather, a happier student body, and a shorter trip from China.</p>

9

<p>Agreed with the above posts.</p>

<p>I’ll add that Stanford’s strength isn’t just in STEM fields, but is also ranked among the top in humanities, arts, and social sciences (most of which are ranked in the top 5). While Columbia is great and will provide you with many ‘ins’ into finance, so will Stanford, and Stanford enjoys near universal prestige in almost any sector, not just finance (the same can’t be said of Columbia).</p>

<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that what you want now is probably not what you are going to want when you graduate. College has a funny tendency to make you find out who you really are, and that’s usually not who you thought you were. You may end up wanting to leave finance, in which case you’d be glad you didn’t base your college decision on that. Who knows, you may end up in Silicon Valley (not necessarily doing something techy).</p>

<p>Like you, I thought I was certain of what I wanted to do; I wasn’t like other students; I had explored fields of study on my own for years before starting college; I knew what I liked and what I didn’t, and I knew what sort of career I wanted. Guess what? Stanford made me do a 180. I discovered what my ambitions really were, which upon reflection should have been obvious to me as a freshman (given what I know about myself). What I intended to do, which was respectable in itself, wouldn’t be a complete fulfillment of the desires I had. I knew I had that desire - I just thought I’d fulfill it in a different path. (Yes, I’m intentionally being vague.)</p>

<p>In other words, don’t jump the gun. Starting college with the certainty of your career is, frankly, naive (someone told me this when I was starting college, and I said, “no no no, you’re wrong…”). Stanford can get you on the path to success in anything. With that in mind, I suggest that you make your choice not based on which one will lead to a career in finance, but on which one you like the most. Ask yourself: which one will I be happier at? Which one could I go to and never look back, never think “what if”?</p>

10

<p>[List</a> of Columbia University people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“List of Columbia University people - Wikipedia”>List of Columbia University people - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>The followings are notable Columbia graduates at Wall Street</p>

<p>Warren Buffett— Investor, president of Berkshire Hathaway
Vikram Pandit—(B.S.1976,M.S.1977,Ph.D1986,Trustee) CEO of Citigroup
James P. Gorman, MBA 1987, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley
Todd Combs, hedge fund manager, tapped as a potential successor of Warren Buffett as CIO of Berkshire Hathaway
Martin D. Weiss— Financial market analyst, founder of Weiss Research, Inc
Stephen Friedman—Chairman of Goldman Sachs, National Economic Council director, chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Noam Gottesman—B.A., billionaire, GLG Partners
John Kluge—Founder of Metromedia
Henry Kravis—() Investment banker who invented the leveraged buyout
Randolph Lerner—(1984) CEO of MBNA Bank, and owner of Cleveland Browns
Frank Lorenzo—(B.A. 1961) corporate raider
Howard L. Clark, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Shearson Lehman Brothers
Peter A. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Shearson Lehman Brothers
Michael Goodkin, Quantitative finance entrepreneur, founder of Arbitrage Management Company and Numerix
Philippe Jabre, CEO of Jabre Capital Partners
Li Lu, Chinese-American investment banker, fund manager, and investor; one of the student leaders of the Tiananmen Square student protests of 1989
William von Mueffling, Founder of Cantillon Capital Management
Henry Swieca, Billionaire Co-Founder of Highbridge Capital Management, Founder of Talpion
Alberto J. Verme, MBA 1984,Co-head of Global Investment Banking at Citigroup</p>

<p>It seems like Wall Street is dominated by Columbia graduates.</p>

<p>I only see one notable Stanford alumni at Wall Street

[List</a> of Stanford University people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“List of Stanford University people - Wikipedia”>List of Stanford University people - Wikipedia)</p>

11

<p>Where the Fortune 500 CEOs Went to College
[Where</a> the Fortune 500 CEOs Went to College - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2011/01/03/where-the-fortune-500-ceos-went-to-college]Where”>http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2011/01/03/where-the-fortune-500-ceos-went-to-college)</p>

<p>Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania topped the list—the three schools cumulatively awarded 99 degrees to the executives. </p>

<ol>
<li>Harvard University

<ol>
<li>Columbia University</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania</li>
<li>University of Wisconsin–Madison</li>
<li>Dartmouth College </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Stanford</li>
</ol>

<p>It seem like Columbia graduates more successful then Stanford graduates even outside of Wall Street</p>

12

<p>Stanford has fewer people on Wall Street not for lack of trying, but for lack of interest. More alumni are going to choose to work in Silicon Valley, so it isn’t fair to compare the # on Wall Street to a school that is right next to Wall Street; more of their graduates are interested in Wall Street so they end up there. If you looked at the # of people who are entrepreneurs in SV, Stanford would blow Columbia out water. Stanford alumni have founded around 5,000 companies in SV. How many have Columbia alumni founded? (And I’d bet my right arm that the difference between the two on Wall Street is smaller than the difference between the two in Silicon Valley.)</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Interesting conclusion. Here’s just a sampling of the companies that Stanford people have founded - as you can see, they’re all over the place, from finance to technology to real estate:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Or look at the # billionaires that schools have produced:

  1. Harvard 62
  2. Stanford 28
  3. Columbia 20
  4. UPenn 18
  5. Yale 16
  6. UChicago 13
  7. MIT 11
  8. NYU 10
  9. Northwestern 10</p>

<p>I’m not naive enough to draw the conclusion that Stanford must be better than Columbia because it’s higher on this list.</p>

13

<p>As a former investment banking professional, I know that 18-year-old high school students from China have no idea what investment bankers do for a living. It’s just way too early to be thinking so narrowly in terms of your future career. Pick the school where you’re more likely to learn and grow as a person, not the one which will land you the corner office at Goldman.</p>

14

<p>^^This. This guy hit the nail on the head.</p>

<p>Do you know what I-Bankers do yet? Are you sure its something you want to do? Or is it solely because you’ve heard its a prestigious job that makes money? Most people at college switch majors at least once, and no one knows what exactly they want to do. I went from Premed (before stanford) to BME (Freshman year) to a CS and MS&E (finance) double major. I think I may want to work somewhere in Finance (IB, PE, Prop trading), but I won’t actually know until I’ve gotten more experience there. Maybe I’ll hate it. Base your decision on which school is a better fit for you, not necessarily your professional aspirations as an incoming freshman.</p>

<p>As for opportunities at Stanford, there are plenty. We are definitely a target school as far as recruiting, and there are many IB offices in San Francisco. This year, in the sophomore class of 15 guys in my fraternity, we have one guy interning in IB, one interning at a PE firm, and I’m interning at a hedge fund.</p>

15

<p>fantamas, again, why are you listing Columbia Graduate School alumni on your list of successfull Columbia undergraduates on Wall Street?</p>

<p>more than half are not from the undergraduate school</p>

<p>geesh!</p>

16

<p>You are absolutely splitting hairs here. Both are great schools; what happens for you after either one of them will depend on your personal accomplishments while there. And, anyone who says that Stanford is a “level above” Columbia has no idea - period. On what scale? US News and World Report ranked Columbia one place higher this year, but they were tied last year. In the lists posted above you can find either above the other, but insignificantly so. Again, splitting hairs. Figure out which environment will bring out the best in you and that is the only place you will find an advantage of one over the other.</p>

17

<p>both are definitely, undeniably fantastic schools. But I have a friend who chose CU over Stan, and she does not regret it one bit. I believe in terms of internship, and what you are aiming for, you’ll get much better chance in NYC. Congrats! hope you choose Columbia!</p>

18

<p>current US government is also dominated by Columbia graduates.
For example, </p>

<p>Barack Obama—(B.A. 1983) 44th President of the United States (2009-); Nobel Peace Prize recipient; Democratic Senator from Illinois (2005–2008); first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review </p>

<p>Eric Holder—(B.A. 1973, J.D. 1976) 82nd United States Attorney General (2009-); first African-American Attorney General; former Acting United States Attorney General in Clinton Administration; United States Deputy Attorney General</p>

<p>Lanny A. Breuer (B.A. 1980, J.D. 1985)—Special White House Counsel (1997–99); Head, Criminal Division, Department of Justice (2009–)</p>

<p>Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. —Deputy White House Counsel under President Barack Obama</p>

<p>Jared Bernstein —member, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry; Executive Director, White House Middle Class Working Families Task Force; Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden in the administration of President Barack Obama</p>

<p>Stephen Friedman (J.D. 1962)—Director, United States National Economic Council (2002–05); Chairman, U.S. President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board</p>

<p>Ursula Burns —Vice-Chairman, Obama Administration’s Export Council (2010–)</p>

<p>Michael E. Leiter (B.A.)—Director, United States National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), during capture of Osama bin Laden (2007–)</p>

<p>Ruth Bader Ginsburg—Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court, former professor at Columbia Law School</p>

<p>Harold E. Varmus —one of three co-chairs, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2009-); Director, National Cancer Institute (2010–); Nobel Laureate</p>

<p>Francis Stanton “Frank” Blake (born 30 July 1949 in Boston) is an American businessman and lawyer, who is presently the chairman and CEO of The Home Depot, having been appointed to this position in January 2007. Prior to this he worked for the U.S. Department of Energy and General Electric.</p>

<p>Ambassador, Karan K. Bhatia (J.D.)—Deputy United States Trade Representative (2nd ranking official in the U.S. Office of Trade Representative</p>

<p>Frank Blake (1976)—Deputy United States Secretary of Energy (2nd ranking official in the U.S. Department of Energy)</p>

<p>Antony John ‘Tony’ Blinken ()—National Security Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden (2009-)</p>

<p>Tom Frieden —Director, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the administration of President Barack Obama (2009-)&lt;/p>

<p>Full list can be found here :</p>

<p>[List</a> of Columbia University people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“List of Columbia University people - Wikipedia”>List of Columbia University people - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me the list of notable Stanford graduates at current US government ? It is really difficult to find them.</p>

19

<p>^ What is your point? Honestly, you think that these sorts of ****ing contests make any difference? I could point out the names of Supreme Court justices and Congressmen (second only to Harvard in the # there) and all those who work for the White House - but what is the result? If you’re trying to prove that Columbia is “better,” then I think that demonstrates that you can’t be trusted as a source of advice. These comparisons make no sense.</p>

20

<p>I have been seeing these threads pop up everywhere since last Thursday. First of all, to all those who got into multiple top colleges, you are the LUCKY ones. That means YOU will do well where ever you go. You guys were the really strong candidates. </p>

<p>I would choose a college based on my personality. Do I see myself a fit in Columbia’s campus (which is very integrated to NY city and social life means just going to Manhattan)…Stanford has a more community feel. Both places have a sizeable Asian population. Both places will offer you the opportunities. Think where YOU can fit in. Personally as an undergrad, my vote would go to Stanford…</p>

<p>You can still come to NYCity (which as some poster has said) is way aheads of Palo Alto and I agree but as an undergrad, you want a school that may give you more of the college community. NYC can wait another 4 years :slight_smile: Just my opinion.</p>

<p>Just wanted to add - I know of another poster whose D was just this big city gal and she chose NYU over a dozen other well known colleges, and is very happy there. SO think what will make YOU happy.</p>