Hey guys.
Currently a freshman at Vanderbilt. Currently hold an offer to transfer into Cornell ILR as a sophomore. If I decide to leave, I would also be applying to other top schools.
All else equal (in terms of social life), does transferring into a school that does a decent amount better for ib worth it in terms of chance of breaking in. How much does networking/joining clubs during freshman year have an impact.
Thanks.
| +132 | How are women treated in IB? | 70 | 1h | |
| +114 | Analysts bitching on WSO | 26 | 13h | |
| +71 | College Transitions updated 2024 IB ranking | 27 | 21m | |
| +65 | How to Not Feel Anxious About SA Internship | 24 | 1d | |
| +57 | A Guide to HK Investment Banking - 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions (2024) | 5 | 42m | |
| +53 | In denial about SA 2025 Offer | 12 | 2d | |
| +43 | 5 days/wk | 19 | 4d | |
| +34 | 2024 Analyst Bonus Thread | 19 | 10m | |
| +26 | UBS = U Be Shite in Americas? | 4 | 2d | |
| +25 | CVP diversity quotas increased? | 5 | 4d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
I know you said all else equal on social life, but I would weigh this a bit more here given you're already at a strong school. Cornell is great but not comparable to transferring to Harvard/Wharton, or if you currently went to Nowheresville State it would be a no-brainer... there is some recruiting gain for you, but it's not a world of difference vs. Vandy. Also things like hassle - how many of your credits will Cornell take, are you going to have to load up on coursework to get through their curriculum?
Networking will still be important just as you'd do at Vandy, there will be more OCR but they also aren't banging down the doors handing you internships. The clubs do help (Cornell's top investment clubs are extremely selective) but plenty of people land without them so it won't be a dealbreaker. Definitely should network with and apply for the clubs, but you won't be a castoff from recruiting if you don't get into the top ones.
How much of a jump up is Cornell from vandy considering I want to do exclusively nyc/la?
I got the transfer option so I’ve been taking classes that transfer.
I was involved in recruiting back in IBD and I’m currently a part of my MF’s recruiting advisory board. This statement is false.
Can you explain?
Your mileage may vary, perhaps. I run recruiting for my group at a top BB. There are plenty of Vandy alums (more Cornell alums) and someone who networks has every shot in... it's still a very well-known school.
I'd 100% agree Cornell a better school to recruit from, but going from a semi target -> low target is not some massive jump into the golden land here.
My main point was that there is a lot of challenge involved in transferring (socially, having to make up credits) and someone should not think they will be unable to land because they "only" go to Vandy.
I’ll echo what the other guy wrote. At my MF as well, Vanderbilt is a very inconsistent school: some years it does fine, other years (majority of years) it’s a zero.
Lower Ivies like Cornell or Brown may not be a Wharton or Harvard, but the placement rate (at least for my group) is very consistent and top quality. It’s a reliable source of talent pool for us.
How much do you think the smaller size of vandy (class size of 1700) factors in to this?
As someone who transferred into ILR, Cornell is definitely at least a tier up in recruiting but if you’re non diversity it will be gatekeeped by clubs / biz frats
Would you recommend transferring out of ILR? Or would it be too late.
I’m not going into IB but probably not. It might be possible to get into A&S and you’d do econ but ILR is a relatively easy major that becomes very interdisciplinary during the upperclassmen years (you can mostly take whatever you want within reason and still have it count for the major)
Go to cornell, it's an ivy league college
I graduated from Cornell and went into bb. My advice is that since you already go to a good school, focus your applications heavily on HYPSW + Columbia (you’ll be in NYC). I feel like coming from Vandy, you likely can get into one of them assuming stats / Ecs / essays / recs are solid. If you get rejected from these places, you’ll always have the Cornell option there.
Any top school opens a bunch of opportunity doors for you. Whatever you're trying to do - it seems like you are in great shape. So good luck! If you have any questions - feel free to DM me.
It's largely based on your own efforts of networking and prepping
---
Labore qui similique repellat recusandae suscipit. Inventore laborum sunt harum a assumenda. Quaerat sunt tempora et id.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...