UCLA Econ vs. UCB Econ
Is there a real difference between UCLA and UCB for IB recruiting? Plan to work in West Coast in LA/SF.
Recently admitted and contemplating both (will major in econ/biz econ). At UCLA I'll probably have a quality of life, but willing to sacrifice that if UCB will give me a substantially higher chance at obtaining those high finance careers. Did not get into Haas direct-admit and the admit-rates for Haas will likely be sub 5-10% when I apply my sophomore year. Overall unlikely to get in.
Consensus is that UCB is better for recruiting but wondering if that's simply skewed because UCB people are more "competitive" and more focused on attaining that bag. Some alums have told me that while UCLA sends less to IB, there are lesser amounts of people vying for those spots compared to Cal.
Wondering what you guys think. Thank you!
When comparing UCLA and UCB (University of California, Berkeley) for investment banking (IB) recruiting, especially with an interest in working on the West Coast in cities like Los Angeles (LA) or San Francisco (SF), there are several factors to consider based on the WSO Dataset:
Recruiting Landscape: UCB is recognized as a target school for all West Coast banks and a semi-target for East Coast banks. This broad recognition can be advantageous for students aiming for high finance careers, including IB. The school has a history of placing students into bulge bracket (BB) and elite boutique (EB) banks, with a rising number of placements into EBs in recent years. However, it's noted that UCB doesn't send many to private equity (PE), mostly to middle-market (MM) PE shops, with a few exceptions.
Alumni Network and Club Influence: At UCB, the influence of being in certain clubs can significantly benefit students through alumni pull, especially in specific banks and groups. This indicates a structured and potentially competitive environment where being part of the right circles can enhance one's chances of breaking into IB.
UCLA's Positioning: While UCLA is not explicitly detailed in the context as UCB, insights from the dataset suggest that UCLA has been improving its placement in IB, particularly in LA, SF, and NY. Clubs at UCLA, such as BHF/BVI/BAM/BIT, have robust alumni networks and have been taking on more members, indicating a supportive environment for breaking into IB. The notion that UCLA sends fewer students to IB but faces less competition for those spots could mean that dedicated and well-prepared students have a solid chance of securing IB roles.
Quality of Life and Academic Pressure: Your consideration of quality of life is important. UCLA might offer a more balanced experience, which should not be underestimated, as the stress and competitiveness of UCB, especially for those trying to transfer into Haas, can be significant.
Direct Admit and Program Accessibility: Not being a direct admit to Haas and the competitive nature of transferring into the program (with admit rates potentially below 5-10%) is a critical factor. This uncertainty at UCB contrasts with the direct path to majoring in econ/biz econ at UCLA, which might offer a more straightforward journey through your college years.
In conclusion, while UCB may have a slight edge in terms of overall recognition and historical placement into IB, UCLA presents a compelling case with its growing placement success, potentially less competitive environment for IB roles, and the quality of life considerations. The decision should weigh these factors against your personal preferences, career ambitions, and the value you place on the collegiate experience outside of academics and recruiting.
Sources: UC Berkeley Undergrad for IB Recruiting, UC Berkeley Undergrad for IB Recruiting, Los Angeles IB, Guide to LA IB Scene (2023 Edition), Los Angeles IB SA Recruiting Mini-Guide
Currently at Cal right now, and all I can say is that if you want to do WC finance UC Berkeley is easily clear of UCLA. Each cycle, people are consistently placing at the top banks and investment firms in California (I think there was like 1 Qatalyst, 4 GS TMT, 1 MS Menlo, and 1 Ares PE just this cycle lol, this is also just off the top of my head, I'm sure there are a lot more placements). I can guarantee you that placements are definitely worse at UCLA. Also, historically Cal has always placed really well into other great firms/banks on the WC including Moelis LA, HL RX LA, Vista, CVP SF, EVR MP etc. so I think the options are really just a lot greater (I also don't see any UCLA kids really getting elite buyside out of undergrad but in Cal there's always a few kids who end up with a MF PE offer either for summer or FT and a ton of kids going to MM HFs).
Also, it's not a big deal if you don't get into Haas, a bunch of people I know who recruited lights out weren't even Haas majors. Also, if you plan on doing econ/business as long as you're not really stupid you can easily get a 3.8+ (You can see the grade distribution for every class before enrolling and there are so many online materials available for the intro courses, so if you're resourceful you should be getting solid grades. Also, we have breadth courses which are insanely free As, so you can load up on for the first three semesters before you recruit to jack up that GPA).
If you want to check out exact historical placements take a look at the business frat (CBA, BAP, UBG) and the finance club's (BIG, UFA, CIB, BFC) websites, they should list out placements but I don't know how up to date they are.
Thanks for the response. Posted in reddit too and I got this:
“Its a flawed comparison. Berkeley has a dedicated undergraduate business school and UCLA does not, but it doesnt mean we dont place well per person
Lets say Berkeley had 500 people interested in Finance and UCLA has 200, if Berkeley sends 100 to top firms and UCLA sends 40, it doesnt mean we place worse, it just means we have less people (and thats what makes us a semitarget for IB). I have multiple friends with offers from MS, JPM, GS, and Deloitte
But, this also means there’s less competition. A UCLA finance club is easier to get into than a Berkeley finance club, and the professional (and normal) frats are easier to get into at UCLA, meaning its easier to make a tighter network, which might not help immediately but can help further down the line.
From what I see of the people here, most get internships via connections anyhow, but atleast at UCLA you’re more likely to be able to work on projects and join clubs, which can add resumé bullet points. The ‘prestige’ is negligible, if any.
I joined a non-competitive finance club which helped me get a few useful bullet points on my resumé, I’m not sure if I would be able to at Berkeley.
-a UCLA student with an internship in a top 10 asset management firm, and a 2025 offer at a top 10 hedgefund”
do you think this holds merit?
What groups at MS, JPM, and GS lol. If you're actually in WC finance, Berkeley placements easily clear UCLA. It's not even close. If you want to try and end up at a top banking group or a top buyside offer out of undergrad Berkeley is by far the better school for that. If you want to have a chill time and go to a mid LA group knock yourself out at UCLA. I get defending your school but this guy is really misrepresenting it.
Also for context, yes, I know people at UCLA do end up in top groups (I personally know a lot of people at UCLA) but for like every 1 UCLA kid that gets Qatalyst there's like 5 Berkeley kids with equal caliber banking/buyside placements. Idk man do what you wanna do I feel like this is a no-brainer. If you want to have a long-term career in WC finance Berkeley clears UCLA. Also, you do not need to be in Haas, I was not a Haas major and I was able to get to a top buyside shop (think P72, DESCO, Citadel caliber). Happy to take this to PM if you want more details I don't really wanna dox myself.
Don’t want to compare them but saying that UCLA doesn’t place that well is inaccurate. If you’re in the finance community there, you’ll know they do well. A few years ago they literally sent 3 kids to Q all in one class
I just graduated from ucla and while i will say that our alumni network is smaller and focused on LA, every person that i knew who tried to recruit ended up with a great offer. It’s just not a lot of people who are interested in the first place. I would still probs pick berkeley but ucla isn’t too bad by any means.
I went to Cal and majored in Econ, loved it. Work in tech PE by way of banking. I'll give you my two cents which isn't a push one way or another, just my take.
- Cal is great for kids who are not just smart and ambitious, but know what they want to do from day one and know why they want to do it. Some stereotypes are true and it is very easy to get lost in the shuffle, so the students that love it/thrive come in with a gameplan to take advantage of the world-class research opportunities, get a job in west coast banking, go to law school, whatever. It helps you not just with your career but with finding a community / identity in a big campus
- If at high school grad you've already seriously thought through why you want to do banking, you probably fall in that camp. Econ / Haas are not hard majors and you can get a keep 3.8+ with some effort, intern/recruit in the Bay, and have plenty of time left over to party, play a sport, explore a double major, whatever. I left college feeling like I had my fun, made good friends, and with a job I was excited about. Can't say you can ask for much more. And yes, joining one of the aforementioned clubs/frats is competitive but you just need to find 1-2 that stick, it's not as brutal as people make it out to be
As an actual UCLA senior, the situation isn’t bad at all at UCLA and I think our placements are basically on par with Berkeley’s. There’s less interest at UCLA and the main clubs (check Bruin Asset Management, Bruin Value Investing, BIT) alongside the UCLA UBS Workshop place like 50+ kids into BB/EB/MM firms everywhere.
I feel like we should entertain this conversation when UCLA sends a single kid to a MF PE analyst program (and no Ares isn't a MF their fund is smaller than Audax and GTCR).
del
I feel like this says enough about the difference between UCLA and Berkeley. Within the last 5 or so years UCLA has started to branch out from LA and place into other top groups outside of the region while Berkeley has been branching out from sell-side into elite buy-side roles. I don't know how you can compare the two when Berkeley, for FT and SA each year, sends well over 10 to P72, Citadel, and DE Shaw and also 2-4 to MF PE. At UCLA I literally haven't seen a single kid go to any of the above lol (also, this is not even mentioning all the MF PC, LO, UMM PE, GE, REPE, and VC placements which all knock UCLA out of the water in terms of volume, per capita placement, and quality).
Also, please don't attack me about some random kid three years ago going to one of these shops. An exception doesn't prove the rule... it's very clear UCLA places way worse for buyside.
Pick the school that you want to go to not the one the may or may not have marginal difference in recruiting. Basically, if all things being equal you'd rather be at UCLA, that should be your choice, and visa versa.
The career path opportunities will largely be the same. College as a huge holistic experience and the differences here between UCLA and Cal really is on the margin. If you're going to be good enough to place at one of those schools you'll place at the other. Who knows, maybe you'll even change your mind once in school.
This. If I was in your position I’d consider UCLA’s campus, food, weather etc all a bit more than finance recruiting, because that may very well come down to how hard you grind from either 40k undergrad student school. I think a lot of flagship state schools are more or less equal in recruiting difficulty unless you got some special honors program. Look into the workshops/established pipelines at both schools but don’t bet on getting into them either.
Recusandae maiores quasi aliquid excepturi dolores aut. Quia nam dignissimos quo et quis repellendus rerum. Autem aut id modi et labore quas rerum. Animi itaque esse in veniam dignissimos quaerat eaque. Voluptatibus ab voluptatem qui optio ut earum fuga. Dolore tenetur accusantium laudantium. Ut autem ex sed beatae culpa.
Voluptas est dolor laudantium maxime error distinctio et iusto. Iste quis voluptatum debitis debitis repellat.
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...