foodstamp wrote:
Solaris, I can't tell you whether Darden MBAs were specifically dumped for Duke MBAs.
What I can tell you is that every bulge bracket bank has its own set of recruiting schools known as the core. About 95% of available seats get filled up by students from these schools. Duke is almost always part of this core (I've seen the recruiting process at several banks), while Darden isn't on every list that Duke is on.
Honestly, when it comes to recruiting in finance, it makes very little difference how good the classes are or the progress that the school has made. If you attend a school that has stronger relationships on Wall Street then many more doors are open for you.
Duke has been a strong name for years... Although Darden is highly regarded, it can't compete with the relationships that Duke has built over the years. After working in finance and going through the grueling recruiting process, I can tell you that putting Duke versus Darden is like putting H/S/W versus Ross.
My 80 or so person analyst class had 7-9 Duke grads while only 1-2 UVA grads. If this is the typical recruiting pattern that happens year after year then you can imagine the comparative magnitude of the network that Duke has built in finance over the years. Honestly, IMO, if you got in at Duke and Darden... I think you'd be crazy to go to Darden if you are trying to get into finance (all else equal).
Don't get me wrong, Darden is a great institution and it is tough to get into. I am not affiliated with Duke by any means, I just think Duke offers more opportunities in finance.
I don't know where you're coming up with this information from, but this post along with several of your other comments on this thread are complete falsehoods. First of all, I know very little about analyst recruiting, but I do know that the McIntire School of commerce is one of the most highly regarded undergraduate business schools in the nation (#2 in BW this year, and traditionally considered among the top 3 with Wharton and Ross) and is considered a primary feeder for every big New York investment bank. Duke is a virtual unknown in undergraduate business rankings. The suggestion that Duke is more highly regarded that UVA McIntire on Wall Street is ludicrous. Absolutely insane.
Still, undergraduate business rankings and analyst placements have little to do with MBA level investment banking placements. The fact that you can't seem to understand the difference underscores how ill-informed you are on the subject. Darden has longer and stronger relationships that Duke with the major investment banks. You analysis that most positions at investment banks are filled by recruits from target schools is totally correct, however your assertion that Duke is considered core are more firms is absolutely ridiculous. Granted, the landscape in the investment banking world has changed over the course of the last year, and Darden's traditionally strong relationships with Lehman, Merrill, Citi and DB must evolve, but Darden's ties to wall street as a whole are stronger and more comprehensive. You do seem to flip-flop in your statements regarding banking and S&T, and I will agree that S&T recruiting is less comprehensive at Darden than at other schools, though I don't believe Duke is popular among S&T arms at banks either (don't know for sure, so I won't say).
So, I'm not sure what your agenda is, but stop spreading false information. Consider the investment banking statistics for the two schools, keeping in mind that Duke is more than 1/3 larger than Darden. In other words, Darden places more of their smaller population into banking. Also, remember that Duke has traditionally had its highest placements with BofA and Wachovia (a joke among the wall street elite, though things are changing), while year in and year out Darden has its highest placements with Lehman, Merrill, JP Morgan & Citi.
A final thought to dispute your incorrect assertion that Darden is not a core school for some investment banks - I will offer you a nugget of truth from my own personal experience. I will confirm 100% that the the following firms recruited on-campus at Darden last year and offered me a position on their closed list for investment banking and hired someone from Darden:
(Came and put me on their closed list and hired from Darden last summer):Goldman
Lehman
Morgan Stanley
Merrill Lynch
Citi
JP Morgan
Bear Stears
Credit Suisse
Deutsche Bank
UBS
Bank of America
Wachovia
CIBC Oppenheimer
Jefferies
Houlihan Lokey
Barclays Capital
Piper Jaffray
BB&T Capital Markets
(Came and hired someone from Darden, but I didn't apply to):Harris Williams
Keefe Bryuette
Lane Berry
Robert W. Baird
Stifel Nicolous
SunTrust
Lazard
Rothschild
Of course, some of those firms aren't around any more in their original forms, but I can with 100% honesty confirm that each of the above firms considers Darden a core school for internship and full-time recruiting. I'm also quite sure that the firms at the top of that list hire more from Darden than Duke (notwithstanding the smaller size), though since I don't have hard numbers I'll just leave it at that (definitely more from Darden than Duke at my firm last summer).