Stern (full) v Booth (WL)

Question

I've been accepted to Stern with a full ride and I'm currently on the waitlist for Booth. I'm looking to do IB with eventual movement to IM post MBA, and I wanted to get some thoughts as to whether or not Booth would make a huge difference in the recruiting space for this. I come from a fintech background, so IB would be a pivot, and I know Stern has good connections on Wall Street, but Booth is overall better. I'd like to end up in New York upon graduation, but would be happy living in either NYC or Chicago for the next two years as I have never lived in either but enjoy both cities. I know they can both be pretty equal when it comes to finance, but if I got off the waitlist at Booth and money was not a total issue would it be worth it to go there over Stern?

Also, what is the general overall culture like at Stern v Booth? From what it seems, there are a lot of programs/clubs and community activities in Booth that I don't seem to see at Stern as much. Not sure if that has to do with Stern attendees having a lot of previous NYC friends, but it just doesn't seem like they have as many clubs, do as many trips, etc. Just kind of a concern if I was to be coming to a new city. If anyone has any insight on this as well that would be great.

bb · Answer

Congrats on your admit and scholarship! I think it is an easy choice at the moment though I understand that you want to be committed and set your mind one way or another.

Let’s see if we can get somebody from booth or stern to comment on this one... meanwhile you can check this topic with 2 Booth students commenting on IB prospects:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/stern-full-r ... 91434.html

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JohnJohnJ · Answer

You can’t go wrong with either for IB. Once you get there admit from Booth, the offer can be evaluated... like: free vs $. But for now, Stern is the clear winner. 
If you were thinking consulting, then the choice would have been different, but for IB-it’s a tie, there are times when Stern does better and then there are times when Booth is better. But neither can beat Wharton, Bahahaha

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bb · Answer

stoiczoan  and  jessepinkman  - any thoughts about Booth vs. Stern with full ride?

jessepinkman · Answer

congrats on the full ride to Stern. A few things to consider (i have several friends from stern who went through IB recruiting):

It's a lot tougher in general out of Stern to get into the top IB groups. Some friends of mine struggled to get traction at the BBs while everyone I know at Booth had their pick amongst several BBs. You will need to network a ton on your own at Stern while at Booth all of the NY groups send people to Chicago so it's a bit easier from that perspective. Booth also is way stronger in IM when you look to pursue that down the road.

Stern definitely has more of a commuter vibe with a high concentration of people from NY and no real concentration in terms of where people live within Manhattan. Booth students predominantly live within a 5 block radius in downtown Chicago so it feels more like a community despite campus being in Hyde Park. Cost of living in NY is also a lot higher (rent likely double), so something to consider in terms of cost.

If money isn't really a factor, Booth seems like a fairly easy call, but assuming no scholarship from Booth if you get in off the WL, it's certainly a fair amount of money to consider. If you haven't already, I think it's worth telling Booth that you got into Stern on a full ride as that might help your candidacy.

You should definitely speak to current/former students at Stern to get a better sense of the IB recruiting process as well as culture and do the same should you get into Booth. Best of luck either way!

souvik101990 · Answer

Booth > Stern for pretty much all possible recruiting scenario! The money will be great at Stern though. For IB recruiting specifically, Booth has a strong track record and proven pedigree and Chicago hosts a bunch of IB networking opportunities that can easily sub for the local-ness of Stern.

I'd pick Booth if you get off the waitlist

But it could also be that I am a big fan of Booth and their view of classical economics.

nyc2020mba · Answer

Thank you all for the advice so far! It definitely seems like Booth is the strongest push here, so I'll circle back when I hear if I'm off the waitlist.

jessepinkman  - do you think I should reach out to Booth now being on the waitlist and let them know about the full ride? I wasn't sure if that was something I could do now to nudge them a bit in a certain direction or if it made more sense to wait to see if I get accepted and then followed up about money, etc. I just want to make sure I'm not crossing any lines/taking the right steps here. Appreciate the help.

MBASomeTime · Answer

I disagree with Jesse's assessment here - you will not have any issues with IB recruiting coming out of Stern. I considered myself to be the "average" candidate, and had traction with multiple BB's and EB's in the recruitment process. I would also note that the average candidate at Booth is certainly not equivalent to the average candidate at Stern (The bottom half of those recruiting at Stern will fare worse than the bottom half out of Booth). Considering that you have a full ride, this situation won't apply, and you will not have issues with employment from either program. It should come down to if you're willing to spend an additional ~150 - 200k (depending on when you pay off loans) to attend Booth.

Employment numbers for Booth - 11JPM, 8 CS, 7 GS, 7 Citi, 6 MS, 6 BAML, 6 EVR, 4 WB out of 70
Stern - 9 JPM, 7 GS, 7 CS, 7 BAML, 6 Citi, 5 EVR, 5 HL, 4 Barc, 4 Moelis, 3 Gugg, 3 RBC out of 90

Employment numbers for Booth - 11JPM, 8 CS, 7 GS, 7 Citi, 6 MS, 6 BAML, 6 EVR, 4 WB out of 70
Stern - 9 JPM, 7 GS, 7 CS, 7 BAML, 6 Citi, 5 EVR, 5 HL, 4 Barc, 4 Moelis, 3 Gugg, 3 RBC out of 90

JohnJohnJ · Answer

Real question: I hear a lot of people saying commuter school, what does that mean? And what’s wrong with a school being commuter?

With the real estate prices, I am thinking that everybody has to live away and use the subway.

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MBASomeTime · Answer

Looks like there might have been a bit of confusion - I'm currently a first year at Stern, but haven't updated my profile on here since I was initially researching programs. Now that that's out of the way, I'll go on and expound a bit on my opinion - that Stern is the better choice in this scenario.

For my classmates that opted out of an M7 to attend Stern, the answer to "how much" seems to be around half tuition. Anecdotally, a good friend opted out of a 60% scholarship at Booth for a full ride at Stern. This number will vary for each individual, but in my case 55% was enough to make me lose interest in converting an M7 waitlist.

I hate to bring this analogy up, but the "bigger fish in a smaller pond" holds some weight in the recruitment process - but in a different sense than typically mentioned. From what I've noticed, it's purely the size of the fish that matters, given that the "pond" contains the same amount of water. Every firms on the street comes to recruit at Stern, aside from Wells and Deutche Bank. The top firms are looking for that fish - regardless of which school they're coming from, as long as the program is good enough. There are a few boutiques that recruit exclusively from Stern, but I'd imagine Booth has it's fair share as well.

Yes, living in the city is a double-edged sword in the recruitment process. The expectation is that you'll be networking quite a bit more often with firms over the fall and will become well acquainted with the subway system. From the perspective of time commitment, you'll be better off making calls from Chicago - but if you hold your capacity to network in high regard, you'll find that you'll prosper more professionally from being in the city, and can "schmooze" your way into interviews; I think people underestimate how much having one or two people vouch for your candidacy helps in the IB interview process, a benefit that you will seldom develop from a more disconnected recruiting process.

bb · Answer

Thank you for your reply and clarification  MBASomeTime ! Great to have a perspective of a current student.

PS. I will remove the 2 no longer relevant posts from the discussion.

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jessepinkman · Answer

I'd recommend you reach out to a consultant to best navigate the waitlist if you haven't already to get some expert advice. Having said that, from my perspective I don't think it can hurt to reach out to Booth and let them know that you have received a full scholarship from Stern but that Booth remains your top choice. The more you can show that by demonstrating interest through a campus visit, chat with students, etc, the better. This article written by one of my friends who got into Booth off the WL should be helpful: https://poetsandquants.com/2016/12/15/w ... ss-school/

JohnJohnJ · Answer

jessepinkman  
Are you a current or past student at Booth?

Makes sense to talk to alums and current students at both schools

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jessepinkman · Answer

Past - class of 2017

JohnJohnJ · Answer

Nice, congratulations.
What do you do now? Where do you work?

You could be a good example of kids applying to Booth

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nyc2020mba · Answer

Thanks everyone for their detailed thoughts at this time! Both schools have many pros in my post MBA area of focus, and until I hear any updates about the waitlist I'll be planning to attend Stern. I will make sure to update this thread as the process goes on for more advice, but I welcome further feedback/information in the meantime.

bb · Answer

Thanks and Sounds good! I hope to have many more exchanges on this topic as Booth clears you from WL, then gives a scholarship, and then Stern throws in more money, and then Booth comes back...

Let's hope! Happy Holidays! BB.

nyc2020mba · Answer

Hey all - just wanted to provide an update on this. Not sure how to update the title/header, so apologies (if anyone knows how to update let me know). I ended up hearing back from Booth that I was accepted, and received about $35k tuition in scholarship money for each year. I know the decision is coming up for Booth, so I just wanted to see if anyone had any new thoughts as things have changed. As mentioned, I'm more or less planning to do banking. From that, I would think that going to Stern still makes sense. What Booth could do for me though is open up doors in the investment management or other financial spaces that Stern may not, which would be a reason to more highly consider it. Any further insight or thoughts anyone has as I make this decision would be greatly appreciated!

JohnJohnJ · Answer

What made you form this option about Booth vs Stern for finance? 
That argument would be more valid for a Wharton vs Booth/Stern.

I think that both the schools are equally good for finance, in fact I feel that Stern has the NYC advantage that Booth may not have.

Again, I didn’t go to Stern or Booth, so this is from someone who has worked as a consultant in Finance and Marketing across North America

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nyc2020mba · Answer

JohnJohnJ  the comment about IM v IB was based on many current 2nd years at Booth and Stern that I connected with. From what I heard, there seems to be potentially more opportunities facilitated through the career center in IM at Booth compared to Stern for IM (which has equal types of support for IB, but a much more make your own connections for IM). Both schools are great, but it really depends on how much I want to put all my eggs in one basket from the start of the recruiting process.

Stern (full) v Booth (WL)

Stern v Booth

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