<p>Hello!
So I am really interested in private equity and investment banking and hope to one day work for one of these firms.<br>
I am a senior in high school and have applied to the following schools:
-University of Southern California
-UCLA
-Pepperdine University
-UC Irvine
-CSU Fullerton
-University of San Diego and
-San Diego State University</p>
<p>Will these schools help me land the job of my dreams?
I will be receiving the most scholarship money from CSU Fullerton, so if I decide to go there, will this school in particular help me get into private equity/ investment banking?</p>
<p>The more detail the better!!!
Thank you in advance!:)</p>
<p>First I’ll give you facts. of these schools USC and UCLA are your most prestigious options with SDSU and Pepperdine trailing closely behind. All four are nationally ranked at least within the top 50 or so schools in the nation which means they will certainly mark your diploma with a certain degree of prestige. Also, USC and UCLA have fantastic alumni networks- this equates to odds of better employment. If money is less of a factor I would choose from these 4. HOWEVER, if money IS a factor ,which it is for most people, you owe it to yourself to be fiscally responsible. College debts and loans are certain whereas the salary of your dreams is not. Investment banking is an extremely competitive field so you want to come out of college with only as much debt as you can afford. I tell you this as an economics/finance major in the midst of pursuing job opportunities and internships in the investment field. truthfully this 6figure job that you probably have in mind is only going to go to the kid with an outstanding GPA that has made connections and proven he knows how to perform in the field by fulfilling as many internship positions as possible. those internships can honestly become your golden ticket if you get the right one. </p>
<p>Now here comes my personal opinion, I wanted to go to USC. It was my dream school and has, in my opinion, probably the best overall college dynamic. However, Pepperdine gave me twice what they did in scholarships. They are very generous to good students in terms of financial aid since they are trying to establish themselves as a higher tier university than they already are. Moreover, they REQUIRE you to secure an internship. that’s right, you can’t graduate until you’ve completed one. This forces you to beef up your resume perhaps more than several of the other schools you have on your list. I honestly believe they work as hard as any university could to set you up for employment. for these reasons and more I believe Pep has set me up well for success and as a result of going here I don’t have the anxiety that many of my friends at other schools have about getting a good job. Professors usually come from a stance of applicability as most worked as successful professionals in their fields before teaching, so they know what the hell they’re talking about (my current econ professor worked for the federal bank and JP Morgan Chase before teaching) Also, for what it’s worth, when it comes down to thinking about the fun side of where you want to go, don’t rule pepperdine out for its size or religious affiliation. regardless of what anyone may tell you, you’ll have every opportunity to get the full college experience and everything that comes with, perhaps just not on the same scale as other schools. plus, the beach and women don’t hurt.
good luck, hope that’s helpful </p>
<p>@happychillmore
Thank you so much for this thorough explanation! One last question…some of the schools I applied to such as UC irvine and USC have concentrations in finance with the business major that specifically have classes geared toward investment banking. I have noticed that Pepperdine does not have a finance concentration and UCLA only has a business economics major and no finance concentration. Will Pepperdine and UCLA really be as helpful as USC and UC Irvine in landing internships and jobs?</p>
<p>PS I am a good student and am willing to work hard 
</p>
<p>Thank you again!!</p>
<p>Can’t say that I’m familiar with these programs personally since I don’t go there but I do know a great deal of students here that either double major in econ/accounting or finance because they require the exact same GE’s and pre req’s with relatively little extra work in comparison to other double majors. Here, the finance degree is something you qualify for after sophomore year after completing business/ econ prerequisites and ge’s.</p>
<p>You need to be aiming for top Ivy leagues or top business schools like Stern or Ross for PE or Ibanking. It’s going to be difficult in the schools you’ve listed to get into these fields without any significant hook or connections. You’ll have the best chance at USC with its large alumni connections.</p>
<p>@happychillmore
Have you gotten a wide range of internship or job opportunities in ibanking after or while you were going to Pepperdin? </p>
<p>Also this is kind of off topic from investment banking, but what is Pepperdine’s school year? Do they really end in april? I was kind of surprised it seemed kind of early haha.
And during winter break are you required to checkout and move all your things out of your dorm room and then move them back after break?
Seems kind of like a hassle. </p>
<p>Ok well thank you again! :)</p>