Hey guys, I’m having trouble decide between Penn state Schreyers and UVa. I live in Pennsylvania, so I’ll be getting the instate tuition plus a small scholarship, making Penn State very cheap. Meanwhile, UVa has such expensive OOS tuition. If I were going to Penn state, I’d essentially have 100k extra, but with UVa I’d have no money, but no debt. I really liked UVa, but I’m not sure if its worth the extra cost, and I wouldn’t be an honors student there. I also want to major in finance, and UVa is one of the best business schools in the country, so I have no idea what to choose. I would also like to work in investment banking at one of the top banks, so I’m not sure which one would be the best in getting me there. If anyone could help me, that would be fantastic.
bump
Penn State Smeal ranked #1 by recruiters according to The Wall Street Journal. I am biased though…my daughter attends from out of state and if I could go back in time I would want to be a Freshmen at Penn State. She loves it there.
…also the Schreyers dorms are fantastic. ( According to D)
^ They’re very quiet! I don’t have to go anywhere else for studying. Which is good, because the library is a 5 - 10 minute walk and I’m very lazy.
UVa, particularly McIntire, is an IBanking target. I am not sure about PSU (Schreyer or otherwise), but I do not think it is. If you are set on working 80 hour weeks on Wall Street, I think UVa is a better bet, but a costly one.
UVA is #20 on this list PSU #1 http://www.collegeatlas.org/recruiters-college-picks.html
Twinmom, I would not take that report too seriously. But even if we were to do so, it does not apply specifically to the OP’s desire to work for an IBank on Wall Street. If the OP wished to major in Engineering or work in a different industry, I would have recommended PSU because it is cheaper. But IBanking is a niche market.
McIntire placed over 40 out of its 350 BBA graduates in companies like Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Lazard and Morgan Stanley last year. That is very impressive. I am not sure about PSU, but I do not think it is an IBank target.
I worked on Wall Street for 10 years…it steals your soul. Glad I got out while I still had my values. 
OP, do you want to work in finance, or in IB specifically?
What’s your parents’ budget, can they afford UVA OOS?
I think Penn State Schreyer is more worth it, but UVA (mcintire specifically) IS a far better school. Those rankings that put PSU at 1 and UVA at 20 are bs.
Well, I think I’d like to work in IB for several years to get my foot in the door in the financial world and sort of “pay my dues”. Then I plan on going to earn my MBA and then from that point onward I’m not entirely sure. And I could afford UVA, I just wouldn’t have any money left over.
If you want to work in IB and can afford UVA (and have a decent shot at McIntyre), then UVA is the best choice.
You’ll work after college and save money for your MBA, or, if you’re lucky, your company will pay for you to study for your MBA … You’ll worry about it 8 years from now, when you’re done with college and post graduation work. 