Currently I am a freshman in the IBE program at Lehigh university and majoring in Finance. I have absolutely no interest in engineering so I’m going to be dropping IBE and just doing finance, but I was wondering if I would be better off at a different school for finance like NYU CAS for econ or Fordham/Baruch for finance. The reason I’m not considering stern is because they only have fall transfer, so I would have to wait until fall of my junior year to transfer which is too late in my opinion.
A big reason I want to transfer is because of location, I just really want to be in the city for social reasons (things to do, close to my house) and for networking reasons. I just genuinely don’t enjoy Lehigh.
So I will be applying for sophomore year spring transfer to three schools mentioned above. I currently have a 3.4 GPA and will be grinding easyish classes next semester and I think I can reasonably bring it up to a 3.6-3.7. I had a 3.7 in high school so I think I have a pretty good shot for Fordham and Baruch and a decent shot for NYU cas econ.
So I guess the main question I’m asking is you think I’m better off staying at Lehigh finance, NYU cas econ, or Fordham/Baruch finance. (I know i’m not interested in IB if that changes anything). My end goal would be to get in the finance field like analysis or corporate finance.
Life is short and your college years will remain with you the rest of your life. All four programs are solid for finance. Lehigh & Baruch are strong, while NYU CAS might be overshadowed by NYU Stern.
If you were happy at Lehigh I’d say to stay – it is a strong program. If you want to consider NYC schools here are some thoughts:
–For NYU you are considering a very different major. Be sure you look through the course catalog to understand what the coursework for an economics major entails. Plus you will be competing with Stern students for job opportunities.
–Fordham has a well regarded b-school. Note that as a Jesuit school there will be a large humanities core to fufill. Be sure you can finish all graduation requirements within four years.
–I don’t know enough about Baruch to opine. But I haven’t come across many Baruch grads myself. It is not a traditional residential campus.
Unless your family lives in NYC, I wouldn’t consider Baruch because it’s 99%+ commuter.
Fordham is very good for finance, has 2 campuses (Lincoln is just a big building though but right in the City), and is still accepting transfer applications for Fall 2025 with housing if you’re a 1st year.
The main reason I’m hesitant about applying to Fordham for next fall is I think I have good chance of getting in, and if I go there I might be sacrificing the possibility to go to NYU as I’m not sure if two transfers would be too much. If two transfers isn’t an issue I would probably go to Fordham and then try to apply to stern my junior fall, and apply to NYU CAS still for sophomore because why not I guess.
Transfer once - if you have a good chance to get in, that’s reason to apply.
But go and stay.
Are you career goals to be on Wall Street? If not, there’s lots of urban schools - think Pitt, Charleston, GW, VCU, Denver and more. General finance doesn’t require NYU or really any school.
I assume you mean Wall Street type jobs given your NYC focus but you made it seem like just wanting to be in a city and many more cities have schools with finance.
So just confirming.
Could BU be another possibility? It might be more transfer friendly.
The other thing is finances - are you full pay or on some type and needing aid? If so, that could be an issue as a transfer.
I’m on full pay so it’s not really an issue. I was on track to pay for 5 years of school at Lehigh. BU could be an option and I will probably apply there as well. But I would mainly prefer NYC as it’s close to my house.
Thank you for your response though it was very helpful.
OK - what type of finance do you want? If it’s a job at x company in New Rochelle or Morristown vs. Goldman Sachs, you can veer a bit further and be fine - if urban - like a Drexel, etc. Of course, that’s no closer than Lehigh but at least it’s city…and yes soon enough you can be home.
You seem confident in Fordham - so that seems reasonable but there are other schools Manhattan, Seton Hall, etc. that could be easier too.
But I think you have this. But move once - not move and try again. That would bring up too many questions in interviews and potentially show a lack of committment.
If you want to be in a big city, Fordham is great - forget about Stern, odds are very low even as an internal transfer + admission to CAS Econ is far from certain and wouldn’t really help you for the professional field you want.
Fordham is a great school but its advantage over Lehigh would primarily be in my opinion for IB.
Going to NYU but not Stern puts you had a distinct disadvantage for recruiting.
Baruch great school and option but not a traditional residential experience.
Lehigh is viewed as a very good school and highly respected based on its rigor. If you transfer it will beg the question why, if you stay and thrive potential recruiters will ask themselves why not (hire).
If IB was the goal I would suggest otherwise but your current situation is enviable for broader financial roles. Unfortunately that comes at the expense of proximity to home which I can’t quantify for you in terms of priority.