Columbia ($) vs. Booth?

Question

Looks like I'm finally in a position to make this choice. Columbia or Booth? I want to go into either asset management or investment banking in either SF or NYC. Some people would say CBS is the no brainer here. However, I'm based in NYC and personally it would be nice to get away, but I'd love to get an aggregated opinion. I got a little money at CBS but not a ton. All in all, I'm leaning toward Booth but I'm still not sure.

hollaback · Answer

If you want a break from the city, go to Chicago. Unless the money's a significant amount (it doesn't appear to be), go where you feel most comfortable.

cheetarah1980 · Answer

My dear homie, hello212. We have already discussed this. You are contractually obligated to join me at Booth. However, if you need more reasons here are a few:
1) Harper Center is gorgeous and the cafeteria food is awesome
2) I will be at Booth
3) Not to be a rankings snob, but Booth has the edge 
4) I will be at Booth
5) Lake Michigan is amaze balls. It's like an ocean without salt
6) Cheaper rent in Chicago. Plus you get more apartment for your money
and the biggest, most important reason you should choose Booth is...
7)   I WILL FREAKING BE THERE TOO!!!!

What else could you possibly consider?

hello212 · Answer

I can say confidently that this year's GMATClub cohort is the funniest, smartest, most interesting, and most irresistibly attractive (mostly due to me) that ever was.

scorpionz · Answer

I'm not going to vote in this poll, but BOOTH is what I'm shouting!! Would be great to have you in our class at Booth!!

Capr · Answer

Really up in the air. Booth is higher ranked and the money from CBS is offset by the higher cost of living in NYC. That said, CBS is a huge name in finance in NY (though Booth is a top player too) and it will make recruiting in NY much easier because you will only need to take a train to midtown/downtown as opposed to flying in from Chicago. I would probably stay in NY but only because I would hate having to pack up everything to go to a different town.

MYCambridge · Answer

Definitely Columbia.

hello212 · Answer

Hey thanks for the responses guys.

maki04q · Answer

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Definitely agree. If your goal is to find AM or IB in SF or NY, Columbia has an edge. I have friends at Booth recruiting for finance jobs, and they really didn't enjoy flying out to NYC every other week to recruit. Cost of flying out with hotels can really add up. Chicago has an edge on overall MBA ranking but Columbia's overall brand has an edge over Chicago, especially abroad. Keep in mind that MBA ranking changes all the time, but parent university's brand value will not change. I would pick Columbia with $. This is repeated over and over again, but you really can't go wrong with either though. Congrats.

Moss · Answer

Speaking with my friends at other banks, most summer classes at the various BBs and top boutiques have pretty similar numbers from CBS, Booth, and Wharton -- the #s in employment reports from each school reflects this as well. Anecdotally, there is the same number from both CBS and Booth going to my bank this summer. I think you'll be as successful with banking recruiting at either school. Similar with AM, which has a pretty solid amount of on-campus recruiting at CBS.

To give my pitch for CBS, I'd argue that there is less variance at CBS than possibly at other schools. That is to say, each firm will probably take a pretty similar number from either school, but I think that which people end up at which firm has less volatility at CBS. This is due to the high number of touch-points you get with every firm. Coming out here for a week-long banking trek is a lot different than being on Wall St every day of the week for a few months straight meeting with people. You really get to know the banks and they get to you know on good days, bad days, and everywhere in between, versus other schools with fewer touch-points. It increases your odds of really connecting with people and understanding the bank better. Especially at firms which place you directly into groups, having the opportunity to really get to know people even outside of the school recruiting teams can really help you get comfortable with where you join up.

This of course isn't going to really increase the overall recruiting numbers, and also helps everyone from CBS equally, so its not like there is a huge boost to your overall chances at getting a job generally from Booth vs. CBS, but I think that because they get to know you better and you get to know them better, that there is a better chance of you ending up at the "right" firm for you. And the banks agree -- they all state that CBS students have a higher summer yield, ie, more come back FT at the end of summer, partly because they better found the right fit during the recruiting process and didn't need to figure things like culture out over the summer. The "New York advantage" I think might be sold as a way of increasing your chances of getting a job, but really it probably should be better spun as something that increases your chances of finding the job of best fit.

Let me know if you have any questions about recruiting in general or about CBS. GL with the decision.

Moss · Answer

Final pitch: CBS Rugby is a total blast and I'm not even sure if Booth has a team (they didn't show at any of the travel tournaments this year, including the Duke MBA world championships, which had many teams hail from as far away as Europe).

Its not just a sport, but a key part of our social life at Columbia! CBS has both a men's and women's (touch) team, and we jointly host a school-wide happy hour every Wednesday known creatively as "Rugby Happy Hour," where about 200 CBSers (usually 20% ruggers, 80% people who like to drink on Weds) take over a the basement of a POS local bar playing flip cup and beer pong all night. This is just a preview for the official Happy Hour in Uris on Thursdays where we get free dinner & beer -- both serve as an excellent warm-up for your liver to carry you through the weekend party scene.

LadyRoadWarrior · Answer

I think that rankings and employment prospects are over-emphasized. It's splitting hairs. Yes, yes, I know that we are going to bschool to get a job, but hear me out:
IMHO, your outcomes from Booth will be the same as they are from CBS. We are talking about TOP finance programs here with stellar reputations, contacts, alumni networks, etc. I think the small CBS fellowship totally just balances out the COL in NYC so I'd call that a wash. What you're left with is an even-up choice.

Why try to quantify the tiny differences between the two programs? When it's that close, why not just let your gut decide? If your gut tells you to get out of the city for a few years, head to Booth.

hello212 · Answer

Wow, 36 Columbia and 35 Booth! The gap's narrowed quite a bit since I started the poll. I'm leaning toward Booth (and have to make my decision in just a few days), but appreciate all of your information and opinions.

Ivan91 · Answer

Before voting, I thought it would be like 100% for Columbia. Three main reasons

1)Proximity to wall street. It is so much easier to go to interviews and take the advantage of being in NYC

2) Columbia is an Ivy League school. Ranking is the least that matters, but the overall prestige of the Columbia brand is greater.

3) You actually get some $$$ from Columbia, which means they like you and would invest in you.

S2S · Answer

Disclaimer: I was in a similar situation a few months ago and picked Booth. Another poster also mentioned how Columbia (the parent university) is a stronger brand (case in point, "Ivy League" cited above, despite it's originally just an athletic conference comprising of Northeastern schools). It is a fair point, but such edge seems to exist primarily outside of the US, and it might not be quite what you think... look up the rankings, you pick the ranking system :wink:

. Within the US and particularly within Finance, the story is quite different. I've talked to many recruiters in Investment Management (my current field), and most preferred Chicago. And of course, hello212 can't really go wrong irrespective of which school he ends up at.

hello212 · Answer

Thanks everyone. I've made up my mind. I'm going to be a Class of 2014 Boothie!

Columbia ($) vs. Booth?

Columbia ($) vs. Booth?

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