Ohio State vs Fordham for finance: which is the better choice for internships and recruiting?

Fordham has the edge for finance internships and recruiting, mainly because of location and the way New York-based employers plug into the school. Being in the Bronx with easy access to Manhattan makes semester-time internships much more realistic, and Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is very visible to firms hiring for finance roles. For a high school senior focused on breaking into the field early, that day-to-day proximity matters a lot.

The biggest differentiator is access during the school year. At Fordham, students can network, interview, and intern in New York while classes are in session, which is especially valuable in finance where repeated exposure and early experience can snowball into better junior-year internships and full-time recruiting. Ohio State students absolutely get internships too, but they are more likely to rely on summer recruiting cycles or travel, which can make the process less constant.

Ohio State has a very large and loyal alumni base and can place well, particularly in the Midwest, but its brand is broader than finance-specific.

Program structure also matters. Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business is strong, large, and well-resourced, which can be great if you want lots of options and a big campus experience. Fordham’s setup tends to feel more directly tied to finance recruiting because of the steady employer presence, alumni density in New York, and easier access to informational interviews, coffee chats, and in-semester internships.

If your priority is maximizing finance recruiting access as an undergrad, especially toward New York roles, Fordham is the more practical pick. Ohio State becomes more compelling if cost is meaningfully lower or if you would prefer building toward Midwest finance opportunities through a bigger public-university network.