<p>For undergraduate business, what schools tend to place the best in Chicago corporations and non-profits? I know where you go isn't everything but alumni do like to hire from their own school so it helps.</p>
<p>It seems like there are a lot of good schools with undergraduate business degrees that probably send kids to Chicago so I was wondering.</p>
<p>Some of the good schools that I'm guessing send kids to Chicago:
-Notre Dame
-University of Illinois-Champaign
-Indiana University
-University of Wisconsin-Madison
-Purdue
-Michigan-State
-University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
-University of Iowa
-University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
-other schools throughout the midwest</p>
<p>So, what is someone's best bet if they want to work in Chicago? Put differently, in Chicago, what colleges for undergraduate have the strongest alumni networks?</p>
<p>How do you define and measure the strength of an “alumni network”?
I think you would first need to identify a set of target companies, then gather data on the number of applications/resumes from each school to each target company, and on the resulting number of hires.</p>
<p>Even if this data were available, it would be hard to tease out the effects of alumni string-pulling (or whatever is meant by “alumni network” effects) from other factors (such as the sheer size and location of the undergraduate institution).</p>
<p>“I would have mentioned it, but I think the OP’s question was about schools with undergrad business programs.”</p>
<p>For that matter I don’t think Northwestern would belong there either. </p>
<p>Also WashU’s Olin gets solid recruiting in the general midwestern area according to their published BSBA employment statistics. I’m not too sure about placement Chicago specifically, probably not as strong as Ross, Northwestern, or UChicago, but I would think its placement in Chicago is much better than most of the schools listed thus far.</p>
<p>^ I’d be surprised if UChicago was even close to Illinois or Indiana.
As for WashU, DePaul probably does better in Chicago.</p>
<p>As for NU, it’s true that it doesn’t have a full undergrad business program, but it does have a certificate program at Kellogg. I’m guessing Econ, IE, Medill, and other majors fare well, too.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard too much about the certificate program at NU, although I know for a fact that the Econ department is a powerhouse for recruiting.</p>
<p>I think the list I posted earlier may be more relevant to the midwest as whole? I guess it makes sense that Chicago schools tend to do better in their own city than a OOS university. </p>
<p>Though is UChicago really not considered a “target” for top firms in Chicago?</p>
<p>What happened to the Ivies and similar schools? If you just read this thread, you would think you were better off going to DePaul than Stanford for Chicago placement.</p>
<p>Very few. Look at the dispersion of their Alumni. Most on east and west coasts. And if you want to work as a trader in the Chicago markets–DePaul is better.</p>
<p>Depends where you are in the Midwest. It’s a powerhouse in the St. Louis market and probably not too shabby in Kansas City. I have a friend who teaches at Illinois who says WUSTL is very highly regarded by top students coming out of Champaign-Urbana high schools, with more kids headed there than to U Chicago or Northwestern. I suspect it’s got some real reach in central and southern Illinois which in some ways are more oriented toward St. Louis than toward Chicago. It’s also got some influence further south, into Tennessee, Arkansas, and as far south as New Orleans, and west into Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. But Chicago? Not so much. I lived in Chicago for a long time and never met anyone who went to WUSTL, or even so much as mentioned it. </p>
<p>I’d say for undergrad business, Michigan and Notre Dame are names that will open a lot of doors in Chicago (as of course are the University of Chicago and Northwestern without the undergrad business degree). Wisconsin and Illinois would be right up there, just a tad behind. Indiana’s got a terrific undergrad business program but I don’t think the brand has as much impact or instant name recognition in Chicago; everyone’s heard of the university of course because it’s a fixture in the Big Ten, but I think the business school is stronger than the school’s overall reputation and that represents something of a barrier. Everyone thinks of Purdue as a great engineering school and Ohio State as a great football school, and they don’t think about Michigan State or Iowa at all. Minnesota’s connections are mainly in the Twin Cities and west from there, so it’s pretty much off the radar in Chicago. Minnesota and Wisconsin both have very good business schools, quite comparable in many ways, but I’d say Wisky places more grads into the Chicago market and Minnie places more grads into the Twin Cities market, two of the most dynamic business markets in the Midwest.</p>
<p>Top cities for UW B school undergrads in order–Chicago, Madison, “Northeast”, WI outside mad and milw, Minny, Milwaukee. None with more than 15% of total.</p>
<p>71% stay in midwest
16.1% east/mid-atlantic
4.5% west
3.2% south/sw
2% international</p>
<p>Carlson is more narrow @ 89% midwest
6% east</p>
<p>UM is 44% midwest
39% east/mid-atlantic
10% west
Others minor</p>
<p>Kelley very similar to UW
72% midwest most (35%) in Illinois
16% east/mid-atlantic
6% south/sw
3% west and 3% int.</p>