Hi guys,

My first post in an excellent forum.

Count me in for R1. Will be trying for the dual degree MBA - MS Math Fin program.

EDIT: I'm reconsidering.

I'm a waitlister from the 2010 Stern app. Although I still have hopes in getting off the waitlist anytime before September, what's the best strategy in handling the waitlist and reapp?

Will doing a reapp affect waitlist chances? This is an odd situation where one could be a waitlister and a reapp at the same time (if submitted early enough).

I would suggest looking at employment reports and schools' philosophies. Both have a strong slant for finance, but NYU has a huge community focus and Columbia has a strong management consulting network outside of NYC. From first glance, they appear very similar, but once you delve beyond the websites and marketing, details will reveal the differences.

Thanks a lot brainhurt! Kudos...
_________________

All's well that ends well...

GMAT debrief

brainhurt - fair analysis. Except that Columbia is in West Harlem...

The admit ratio at Stern is always pretty low, I wouldn't be so put off by that.

As for Columbia / NYU, they *feel* very different. People turn one down for the other frequently, and that is mostly based on which suits the personality better. Sure, if you want the Value Investing thing, go to Columbia. But there is a very different atmosphere that suits different people better at either one or the other.

That really doesn't help anyone without visiting, but - in the most part - if you interview with NYU you come to the city, and if you come to the city it only takes twenty minutes out past to get out past the dakota to Columbia and the guys doing wheelies on motorbikes.

They are both good schools. They are mostly considered pretty equal by recruiters (and that goes back as far as 2006 or so, when I had honest discussions with a few people in industries). Some places will have stronger ties with one than the other, but those things are always in flux.

If I were to be a gambler, I would put money on NYU for now, and that is because there is a lot of change going on with the new Dean. It has a feel that something is really happening there right now. But Columbia is set to move campus in (2 years from whenever you read this thread, the thing gets delayed, and delayed, and delayed). It is going even nearer the Bronx. But that could be a big glass building, and we all know what happens when you build a big glass building - ask Booth or Ross.
_________________

Find out what's new at GMAT Club - latest features and updates

One major difference between Columbia and NYU that doesn't get enough press is that if you harbor ambitions of having your wedding covered in the New York Times you should apparently go to Columbia.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/07/columbia_is_the_most-named_uni.html

Draw your own conclusions on what brand implications this might have.

I'll add my $0.02 here as well.

I agree that based off multiple visits I have made to both Stern and Columbia, Columbia does have more of an air of aristocracy to it that you might associate with the Ivys. In my attempts to strike up conversations with students, professors and administrators at Columbia, I had a mixed experience. Some were tremendously helpful and willing to give of their time while others seemed disinterested in helping a prospective student. Overall, the good and bad interactions are probably a wash. At Stern, where I have a close friend enrolled (admittedly an unfair advantage when it comes to contacting other students, profs, etc) my interactions have been much more positive. While I have not tried to contact some of the more notable professors, I think it is also worth examining the roster of professors at each school. Stern does have Roubini and if you're interested in finance, one of the real oracles of valuation - Aswath Damodaran.

I also think that Stern's smaller size and underdog status in the Stern v. Columbia fight seems to have created a tighter-knit community that actively works to show how it develops students to chase their professional aspirations. Columbia and its community, in my experience, seem to be more content that its reputation should be enough to attract more top-flight students.

Regarding ranking trends, NYU definitely has the upper hand. In the last few years it has crept up while Columbia has dropped a bit. NYU also has a new Dean and a new building. Uris, which is Columbia's b-school building leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. All that being said, do your diligence and check the endowments for each school. My sense is that Columbia can bankroll physical improvements to the school if it believes that new digs will spur a resurgence in the rankings. You might also consider Columbia's impending expansion in the Morningside Heights neighborhood. As I understand it, the school is creating some new space and I recall visiting a website that tracks the progress of the construction site. Can't say I took the time to walk by it, though.
_________________

My GMAT Debrief: my-gmat-experience-540-to-92850.html
Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him. - Emerson

w103psp: Thx - I felt like I was fighting the Hundred Years' War with all the time I spent studying for the GMAT and retaking it. It was definitely a feeling of elation when I finally broke through 700. I don't consider myself to be a natural born genius, but I am a hard worker. If you put in the effort, use the resources at your disposal wisely (beat the crap out of the OG...memorize it if you can! And use the GMAT Club tests - they're like steroids for your brain) you can beat the GMAT.

Before moving into higher ed, I worked for a boutique bank for three years doing M&A and capital raising. I would like to "swim upstream" to the bulge bracket and work in NY, so Stern and Columbia are right at the top of my list. Depending on which side of the bed I wake up on, my favorite switches daily. But, I think the bottom line is that if you want to work in finance and you get into Stern or Columbia, you should consider yourself a winner. Either school is going to give you a top-notch finance education, the proverbial "stamp of approval" from a strong finance b-school, access to a powerful network, and the ability to do as much face to face networking on the Street as you can handle. My buddy who just finished his 1st yr at Stern did 20 informal interviews at JPM alone during the fall.

Are you looking at Stern as your #1? Do you have an air-tight story to tell on your essays regarding why you want to get into banking?
_________________

My GMAT Debrief: my-gmat-experience-540-to-92850.html
Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him. - Emerson

w103psp: one more thing - you're in Cambridge but don't want to make a run at HBS? Just want to get away?
_________________

My GMAT Debrief: my-gmat-experience-540-to-92850.html
Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him. - Emerson