Best undergrad business schools

ivy24 · 07-17-2008, 02:54 AM

If business school doesnt have an undergrad division, does that mean you shouldnt do undergrad business there?
Duke, harvard, cornell, columbia, all dont have undergrad business divisions, but does that mean you shouldnt pursue the Economics degree at their schools? Wharton has an UG program, but their degree is also a BS in Economics. Isn't it the same if you attend the college and get a economics degree (obvioulsy none are as good as Wharton, but im basically asking, is it great to go to DUke or Cornell for an economics degree if you want to pursue Investment Banking?)

JimmyC · 07-17-2008, 04:33 AM

Cornell has a business program.

AdmissConsulting · 07-17-2008, 10:53 AM

Wharton is the outright #1. Undisputed.

Then you have , in my opinion, MIT Stern,
then Michigan Ross
Berkeley/Haas + NYU Stern
UVA Mcintire

and the rest are inconsequential...

However, in terms of sheer recruiting, it looks something like that (not exactly, but close)

Tier 1- Wharton, Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Dartmouth Stanford (low because i'm talking about NYC- they kill west coast obviously), MIT/Cornell/Yale

Notice I'm putting them in tiers, because all of those schools are targets, some more than others, but there are reasons behind that. For example, Wharton has a very self-selective admissions process, and pretty much all of the kids that enter Wharton want to do Ibanking/Consulting. Harvard dominates Consulting, but for some reason has less of an edge in Ibanking (Personally, I'd still take a Harvard kid over a Wharton kid anyday, all else being equal). Those are the two "Super-targets," just for the sheer amount of kids they send. The rest are obviously huge targets, and it will depend on the individual student's performance that will determine whether or not he or she lands a job.

Venkat89 · 07-17-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Wharton has an UG program, but their degree is also a BS in Economics. Isn't it the same if you attend the college and get a economics degree (obvioulsy none are as good as Wharton, but im basically asking, is it great to go to DUke or Cornell for an economics degree if you want to pursue Investment Banking?)

Anyone who is hard core about economics won't think that a Wharton degree is really economics. It is business. It's the only economics degree where you don't take econometrics, and only go up to intermediate micro and macro economics. I can't name another econ program where you classes in accounting, finance, management, marketing, or any of those other business fields.

slipper1234 · 07-17-2008, 01:34 PM

The best schools for Investment Banking (outside of Wharton) aren't undergrad business schools. The most highly recruited schools in my experience are:

1) Harvard, Princeton, Wharton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Dartmouth
3) Columbia, NYU Stern, Penn (econ), Northwestern, Williams, Cornell, Brown, Michigan (Ross), a few others...

Weasel8488 · 07-17-2008, 02:39 PM

^ Um what happened to the second tier?

Sheed30 · 07-20-2008, 03:28 AM

Chicago??????????

clock26 · 07-20-2008, 03:30 PM

serously, wharton is not an automatic #1 undisputed as some claim. Yes, its good. However, HYPS are probably slightly better, at least for IB placement. Schools like Chicago, MIT, etc. place just below wharton.

And seriously, why does this question get asked all the time? The answers don't change. If you go to an Ivy, or top 25 schools like MIT, Chicago, UVA, Stern, etc, these are target schools. You can look up this information on google pretty easily. Stop posting these threads just to get reasurred that the school you are attending is/isn't a target.

dollarsoff · 07-21-2008, 11:17 PM

Going to Penn will not automatically get you a banking job.
However, I wouldn't go as far as saying stanford yale harvard princeton are better for banking.
(As a disclaimer, I go to Penn).

This question always gets asked because kids want to strive for the best available option. The targets don't change, but you have to admit that there is a natural tendency for any human to not settle for the 25th school when you can aim for the top 5. I agree, this question is repetitive and annoying. However, everyone wants to defend his or her own school. I do'nt find anything wrong with this.

Regardless, Wharton is not a guarantee. but it is one of the better options, if not the best in my opinion. The only true contender I see is harvard, but not because of its business program (or lack thereof).

Stanford is a target, but not one of the top targets for wall street banking. Sure, san francisco, but the banking scene is much smaller there. This is not because stanford students just can't do banking, but because there is, in general, a lack of interest in it. kids are more into being the next google founders.

Princeton is a target, but in terms of recruiting, it will not beat out Penn. Employment surveys are the most clear data for this. the biggest issue is the lack of a business school to begin with, even at the graduate level.

harvard is pretty much the same with penn. less of the students ,however, take finance/accounting/marketing classes in general, so in terms of sheer numbers, penn probably comes on top.

nevertheless, what students should keep in mind is competition. the kids that want to do banking and know that they will not change their mind and are darn set to do banking/pe/hf/vc will come to penn. you learn a lot, and you may come out on top, but while the reward is great, the journey may be hell : )

Lastly, blackstone, probably a firm every undergrad who is business savvy would die to work for, takes the majority of its analysts from penn and harvard. they do'nt state why, but it just happens.

juliushark · 07-21-2008, 11:25 PM

lol I'd be happy to get into any of these schools

AdmissConsulting · 07-22-2008, 01:12 PM

clock 26- I was talking about Wharton being #1 in terms of undergrad business schools. HYPS are all great, but they don't have undergrad programs in business, which is why I didn't include them.

Sam Lee · 07-22-2008, 01:16 PM

Check out the new Kellogg undergrad certificate programs: Kellogg School Certificate Program for Undergraduates - Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University

Though it's called "certificate", it's rigorous and intense. Kellogg-NU certificate program celebrates inaugural class - Kellogg School of Management

clock26 · 07-22-2008, 10:21 PM

They may not have a "business" major, but they do have econ/finance, etc. Majors like these are suitable for IB.

The reason the schools like HYPS, Penn, etc are good for banking are the networking. Do you really think that the corporate finance class you take at wharton is that much better than the one you take at your state school?

Now, one can't deny that Wharton is an amazing school with amazing opportunies. I would say its network potential is just the same as that at Harvard, Yale, etc. But all in all, the schools that are defined as "targets" by banks are recruited equally, at least those in the top tier.

dollarsoff · 07-23-2008, 01:51 AM

Of course I mean, the classes at most colleges are pretty useless in terms of material. You and I could learn the same thing as what they teach at any ivy by going through the philadelphia public library.
it's all bout the students and the quality of teachers of course that really marinate your brain. the things that happen outside of class.

I just wasn't a fan of " its good. However, HYPS are probably slightly better, at least for IB placement." I apologize in advance for my pride and ******ness.

I agree with your latter statement though.

AdmissConsulting · 07-23-2008, 11:10 AM

Sam Lee-

The Northwestern certificates are really intriguing to me. Several people have told me that they'd take those grads have gone through a curriculum that rivals Wharton's. Is that true? I'm really interested in this, because with Northwester's resources, I don't see why this can't catapult it into one of the top undergrad business programs in the world (maybe behind Whartons and the Sloans).