I have been accepted into Berkeley (Pre Biz track with Econ (BA) as backup major), UCLA (Biz Econ (BA) and Accounting minor) and NYU Abu Dhabi (Econ with Finance specialization (BA)). My objective post-undergrad is to secure a position at a top bank, financial firm or consulting group (although leaning towards finance). Berkeley and UCLA might hold more weight in the biz world than NYUAD, but if name prestige wasn’t a factor then NYUAD would unquestionably be my top choice. Would I be handicapping myself in the job market by attending NYUAD over Berkeley/UCLA or would I still be able to work at a top firm coming from NYUAD? In other words, can I have my cake (attend NYUAD) and eat it too (work at a top firm right out of college)?
You will be in college for four years - day after day after day.
So you have a clear winner. If you can afford it, go.
Going to a school doesn’t guarantee you a job you want.
And no job is impossible to get from any school.
It’s about you - and you can make it happen.
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Personally I think NYUAD sets you apart. You will be familiar with the Middle East and its cultures, you will be so much more sophisticated than many US college students. There’s a ton of Middle Eastern money out there. I think you’d be attractive to firms dealing with the Middle East (uh, which are pretty much all the big banks!) as well as Middle Eastern-owned firms themselves. I imagine if you could speak Arabic or French, that would be a plus.
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Each of the big finance/consulting firms have a list of “target” schools. The target schools varies considerably, and even changes over time. But in general, the higher ranked colleges are typically targets. The higher the rank, the better. Even within the group of target colleges, there is a pecking order.
Smaller boutique firms will extend a wider reach to students from non-targets. There are also loads of diversity programs at the top banks/consulting firms for hiring minorities/military/LGBTQ. NYU Stern is definitely a target for most companies in the financial services industry. But not sure about NYU-AD.
Even students at top target schools have difficulty getting these jobs, so also keep that in mind. You’ll have to network from Day 1 and get top grades.
Are these schools the same in terms of costs for you?