Should I go to Vanderbilt despite the PJT Tree Hill Scandal? Vanderbilt Full Pay or UC Davis Full Ride
Hello,
I’m writing this post because I recently got accepted into Vanderbilt University for economics and I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity. My goal in life is to eventually go into investment banking, hopefully a bulge bracket, and while I know it is going to be difficult I want to prepare now to maximize my chances. However, recently it has come to my attention about the infamous “PJT Tree Hill”, where an Indian kid at Vanderbilt went ahead and snitched on many classmates to get their return offers rescinded and get them blacklisted from the firms. As a result, the return offer rate at Vanderbilt this year has plummeted and it’s not looking too good for Vandy kids. I’m honestly scared that if I go to Vanderbilt that I will not be able to break into IB due to this huge scandal that is taking the school by storm and all the money I spent will have gone to waste.
I have a full ride to UC Davis (in state tuition but got a full ride) where I can also major in Economics. Is it better for me to grind networking and attend there where I can hopefully break IB instead of going to Vanderbilt. It was caused by someone that I heard goes by the pseudonym “Sa3mar Mun8g8ala” (remove the numbers). Apparently it has gotten so bad that the kid has taken down everything on google and taken down the linkedin but if you go on bing you can find everything out if you guys need more info.
At this point, I am honestly trying to figure out whether it's smart to take the safer, smarter financial option and bet on myself, or go to Vanderbilt for its stronger investment banking recruiting pipeline despite the recent concerns. What’s been weighing on me even more, though, is how something like this can spill over into broader perceptions. It feels like when one high-profile situation gets attached fairly or unfairly in the background, it can start shaping how people generalize about others who had nothing to do with it. I don't want my college experience to be overshadowed by something that a disgruntled student did. I also recently spoke to people who are doing economics at Vanderbilt who specifically told me not to come here if I want to do IB due to the scandal and how big it is where top firms are all aware and may not hire from Vanderbilt in the next few years.
Should I go full pay and risk going to Vanderbilt where my future job in investment banking may be at stake due to the scandal or should I go to the full ride at UC Davis and hustle it out. Any advice would be appreciated.
Here is more info if people need to know: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/vanderbilt-offer-revocation-situation