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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]if you wanted a job in PE or IB at a top firm, you'd have better odds as a history major from Yale than a business major out of Stern[/quote]

This is just objectively not true at all. Stern has tremendous placement in IB and PE. [/quote]

And Yale is better. It is 100% true.

Just joining this thread. It is a clear class divider in America (and by class, I am not just using wealth as a criteria) between those who understand the value of a non-pre-professional Ivy League/top SLAC degree and those who don't. There is a mentality among some people that you are totally wasting your time if you are not doing a pre-professional degree. While I somewhat understand the need to be concerned about ROI as the cost of college rapidly increases, particularly for those for whom the cost is a large portion of their net worth, this is a very short-sighted, narrow minded perspective.

To reach the upper reaches of white collar corporate America, it is critical thinking skills that matter the most, as well as people skills. To rise through the ranks of these places, it doesn't really matter what you studied as an undergrad. It matters how you navigate your way up. You can do this as a liberal arts major, a STEM major, or anything else.

I have worked on Wall Street most of my career. I have historically preferred hiring really smart Ivy League types, regardless of their degrees, over obsessively requiring a "business degree." I am happy to hire engineers as those skills are valuable, but not required.

When I talk to people who don't get this, or who say "why would you go to Williams?" I know to adjust the conversation accordingly. They just don't get it. Yes - I am a snob. I'll own that. But when these people who know so little about the levers of power in America talk to me like I am clueless when in fact I get the joke, I find it hilarious. YMMV.[/quote]

As long as we're being honest...I'm wondering what you might think...

I understand what you describe and I believe you are correct that certain schools provide an easy fit into an elite lifestyle.  However, do you think the school is the only differentiator?  Or, do you think the kid from a wealthy Midwestern town who despite being well-educated and intellectually curious and perhaps even well traveled but who is unfamiliar with NYC or East Coast clubs, summering where you summer, and whose family acquaintances have never crossed paths with those who hold the levers of society would receive the same reception from Wall Street/IB upon graduation from an ivy as the kids who have lived entirely in this elite world?

I'm skeptical that the Ivy prestige serves the same value to the unconnected Midwestern student as it does for a student where the school is simply a natural part of their family path progression.  I'm skeptical that the school alone provides an entry to the top levels of places like Wall Street.

What do you think?[/quote]

Good question. I think it is a lot harder but it is possible. A really smart kid from this background needs to have really good EQ and be willing and able to assimilate. Pay close attention to how the people they aspire to be behave and figure out how to do it without coming across as a phony poser (many of them end up clearly trying way too hard and coming across as phony posers). It's not easy but many people succeed at it. They will always be a bit behind those who are born into it, but they can largely bridge the gap. This reminds me of the great 80s movie Secret of my Success.

Contrast that with DCUM where you get countless posters who do not come from the elite background but think they know everything and that corporate America will adapt to the way they think things should be done. They might think they are at the top of the world but they don't know what they are missing. Not saying this to be a snob (though I guess I am). Just saying it to show what I know. And trust me, I am far from the top of the social hierarchy. But I am a lot closer than they are and I know enough to be able to play the game and interact with those types as necessary and not make a fool of myself.[/quote]

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