Duke Fuqua or Cornell Johnson: BB Investment Banking

Question

I'm wondering what others think about the two programs overall and particularly if you have any insights into IB recruiting and placement.

Below are my summarize thoughts so far: 
Both campuses and schools foster strong collaboration, accessible faculty/leadership, and close bonds (due to more secluded environments).

Fuqua boasts good reputation based on anecdotal evidence and strong placements based on employment reports. Duke has a variety of finance-related course offerings with an option to obtain a Certificate in Financial Excellence. The diversity of student interests and higher interest in consulting leaves more doors open for those interested in finance.

Johnson is most well-known for its Immersion programs and Parker Center of Investment Research. While Cornell shares which companies recruit, it does not explicitly share how many students go to each company. Also, it is not clear what the turnover (acceptance) rate is from the IB Immersion into internship roles. I'm not interested in the Asset Management Immersion or jumping into AM/HF role following school, but I have heard directly from alumni who have done the Cayuga Fund and AM Immersion that it is extremely competitive and difficult to turn those roles into an internship or full-time position. Just thought I would share.

revul · Answer

This is one of those things where geography plays a part, but either way I'm leaning towards Duke as a safer bet

dontquixote · Answer

Yes, Duke is ranked 'higher'

But if I was in your position I would choose Cornell.

Duke and Cornell are in the same tier. So no matter the rank if you think hard about it enough, you are considered the same, unless you have a preference for NC I say choose cornell and ride the ivy league name

coby9999 · Answer

Suggest to check couple of things as below. Given you've got the offers, you can try to ask for these info from career office. My gut feel is that Cornell might be stronger in IB.

1, list of BB banks that come on-campus. Guess more BB banks are on-campus at Cornell vs Duke.
2, no. of people went to BB banks in recent years. Guess Cornell has a higher % of people got into BB banks vs Duke

dtse86 · Answer

That's definitely a tough one. I'm definitely more biased towards Cornell, but Duke is still an excellent program as well.

I'd like to say that Cornell's programs (such as the Parker Center, Cayuga Fund, and the Stock Pitch Challenge) help Cornell stand out above Duke, but honestly I don't know too much about what Duke's offerings are in the way of finance.

I think maybe a great way to learn more about IB prospects coming out of these programs would be to reach out to alumni from both of these programs that work at a BB. A lot of times listening to their personal experiences with recruiting can help you get a better idea of what to expect from each program.

For example, I spoke with a friend of mine who was a Tepper grad and works in IB now. He told me how going into Tepper he thought the opportunities would be readily available and that recruiting would be easier than it was. When he was there, the network was not that great and he had to do a lot of the legwork himself without the assistance of career services or alums. Fortunately for him he was successful and he's helping to expand Tepper's finance network, however that's definitely something that Tepper doesn't advertise on any of their brochures.

Duke Fuqua or Cornell Johnson: BB Investment Banking

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