(American Student) I dramatically failed during my freshman, sophomore, and first half of junior year. So my 3.3 gpa means I would be headed to Rutgers. Recognizing my predicament I started self studying a great number of APs, got perfect SAT/ACT and SAT 2s during my second half of junior year. Now I get the undeserved privilege of choosing between these excellent overseas schools.
Some factors
* I was born in Canada, so tuition at Canadian schools are going to be very low.
* Family income is in the mid 200k, so I can afford LSE and Oxford but it will put a dent in my family's savings and I have a brother who just went into soph year of high school and is clearly going to a top 20 school. (I don't want to be a huge burden to my family)
* I want do either IBD or Management Consulting (preferably in NYC)
* My dad was in Ops for 20 years at a BB. But I have two family friends in FO positions. So some family connections?
* 20% chance I want to enter the U.S military and pursue a political career, and since I was born in Canada I don't know which school seems like the least foreign institution to the north-east electorate. Don't want to be seen as some foreigner by the public. (Don't know how much sense this makes to you guys, its a little quirky)
Now the choices...
LSE Econ:
* Econ program is second only to Harvard.
* Smack dab in the middle of London... Internships GALORE
* I am 90% sure that the BBs and EBs find this institution a prestigious one, but I have no clear clue.
* Only three years
Oxford PPE:
* One of the best programs in one of the best schools in the world
* The graduates tend to dominate political and economic spheres of Britain, not sure how useful this is if I am coming back to America.
* PPE is a heck of a lot more interesting then 'simple' economics.
* A little snobby, but I go to high school in Princeton, so I am used to the atmosphere.
University of Western Ontario (AEO Status)
* VERY cheap tuition
* My dad went there for grad school and strongly recommends it (However he got an Ops jobs, but he did just come from India in the mid 90s and admitted he still had foreign quirks and didn't know how to network)
* Easy for the first two years, and only need to put real effort in first four months of Ivey in junior year.
* Don't know how impressive this is to admission officers at HBS
* Great party and social atmosphere (you only live once!!)
* I know this sounds snobby and inexperienced, but I want to go to GS/MS/JPM or MBB. So I don't know how well Ivey places.
Queen's Commerce
* Just applied in case I didn't get in to UWO. (Don't mean to offend any Queen's grads, but I like UWO better)
University of Toronto
* Apparently a sweatshop (I rather wait until I work to start working 80-100 hours a week)
* Terrific for accounting, horrible for IBD (info gathered by using the search function :) )
* I don't know how it places for MBB
* I have two sets of extended family here that I am close to and can provide a base of support in a different country.
* Social life is .... lacking
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.... I spent so much time wondering about my future in banking/politics that I failed to actually work in the first three years of high school. Definitely going to live in the moment at college instead of lurking on this site and worrying, Have a good day!!