Tinni
How is NYU Undergraduate Stern?
This is a program that I’ve really been looking into and was wondering if those who have graduated from this program would be able to give any insight on. #nyu #stern #business-school #college #undergraduate
2 answers
Jared Chung
CareerVillage.org TeamJared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
It's a pretty serious and competitive school, where people hustle hard, work hard, and are driven by a purpose: to set themselves up for a great career. Business feels like the center of the world at Stern. Finance ruled supreme in the school, and the students in the best position for post-college jobs in Investment Banking or at Hedge Funds got a lot of prestige. I loved it, but it's not for everyone. If you are seriously passionate about business, finance, marketing, or accounting, and want to get yourself on the path to success through hard work and strategy, you'll probably enjoy the school culture. I noticed often that my classmates were very self-driven, and very focused on finding financial success someday. We networked with each other, with an eye toward who we might want to start a company with, or work alongside, or invest with someday. The culture was more serious than what I hear many of my friends experienced at (for example) liberal arts schools.
Full disclosure: Everyone's experience will vary. Yours maybe different from mine. Also, I graduated in 2005, so things may have changed. I'll look to others who went to Stern more recently to share their perspectives.
Source: I did my Junior and Senior year of undergrad at NYU Stern.
Thank you so much for your perspective!
Lina Kim
Lina’s Answer
Overall, I would agree with Jared's points. It's a great school and will set you up for future success in business after college. We are in the city, which gives students a lot of opportunities for various internships throughout their undergrad, with chances to meet a diverse set of people unlike any other school. As Jared said, it's a very competitive school. People hustle, grind, and will do anything to get to the top. It is tough, and I won't deny it, but I also believe that it helped me grow into a much mentally strong and independent career woman today. While it breeds a certain culture, it does help students prepare themselves for life post graduate, which is different from the typical undergrad/liberal arts school program. However, it is not for everyone. If you are not interested in business, I would not suggest this school.
I can list a lot of positives for this school. If you're interested in accounting, we have a great BS/MS accounting program which allows you to finish your Masters in Accounting in 4.5 years, which is quite unique to Stern. I went through this program and can state that if you're in accounting, this is a great school to look into for this program. If you're interested in finance, this is the right place. We're the home of some well known professors, such as Professor Damodoran, and strong finance courses that will help you get ready for banking, PE, hedge funds. This logic strongly applies to marketing, economics, etc. I highly suggest looking into the tracks Stern has to offer, because it's not limited to finance as many people would believe. We have a real estate track and more, which indicates there is variety.
In terms of negatives, I would say it's not for everyone. You'll meet the same sort of folks around the whole school, and if you don't believe the finance/banking life is for you, this might not be the place. We emphasize our business curriculum compared to our liberal arts education (we do not have a language requirement). However, it's a medium con because I also know philosophy majors in Stern. It depends on how you balance it on what you would like to learn on top of Stern.
Everyone will have different experiences at Stern, but it's up to you to discover the various opportunities available and make it your own. I hope you will go and become a fellow Sternie!