big name at small city vs. small name at big city
wanted to get people opinions on this...
say i can pick between two summer offers, (hypothetically speaking) one is from a prestigious name (think GS, MS) but in a city that you wouldn't exactly consider a great financial center (ie. not NYC, SF, etc. in the US and not HK in Asia), and the other one is a lower-tier bulge bracket (think Bear Stearns, DB, etc.) but is in a better location (think SF, LA, Chicago, etc.)... which one would set me up better for full time?
this is under the assumption that the first office is a very small branch office that works with the HQ (like NYC or HK), where i'm guessing (but don't know) the experience might not be as good. in other words, go for the name or the experience?
i'm guessing the name will get me the interviews, but the experience will give me more to talk about after getting interviews...
sorry if that was unclear. any input is greatly appreciated.





Name trumps city.
Name trumps city.
why ask such a long
why ask such a long and dumb hypothetical question? so many things go into getting a BB job. Nobody here can give you anything else but what they read on vault.com. Maybe if you had an offer this would make more sense. if you do, then .. well... everybody loves a brand name...
if you dont have an offer, than thats the dumbest thing I have ever read.
peace
Name trumps city if it is
Name trumps city if it is GS/MS imo. If it it close/uncertain on name (i.e. two of CS/LEH/ML/UBS), then take bigger city with comparable name quality.
Do you have offers from
Do you have offers from both? If so, perhaps try leveraging yourself to a better office for the better brand, but without more info I don't think too many of us can be that helpful. Which group in both? Do you actually want to go through the whole process again in the fall?
If it's GS/MS though, they can be hard to turn down. Btw if it's MS Menlo Park you're talking about, that is actually a very good office.
surfmv, sorry if my question
surfmv, sorry if my question rubbed you the wrong way, i don't know why there's all this hostility from you, i'm gonna assume you are just having a bad day at work.
basically i have an offer with an office in the second category (lower bulge bracket in SF), and im currently interviewing for GS taipei. i'm wondering if it's even worth considering since taipei is just a small branch office, and most of the asia deals go through HK.
i don't know this for sure, but right now i'm guessing my experience at GS taipei will not be as "good" as my experience at the other firm in SF...
i'm obviously still going to finish the interview process with them and then decide if i do get an offer, but i didnt want to wait until after i get the offer to ask for people's opinions because i have to take my offer pretty soon.
anyway, thanks for whoever has helpful insight on the subject. any knowledge on GS taipei would be appreciated as well, although i don't expect people to know much about them.
Def go with GS Taipei if you
Def go with GS Taipei if you get it.
GS Taipei. The deals you
GS Taipei.
The deals you work on matter when you're full time and as you said GS brand will get you the 1st interview. You'll do your homework anyway before FT interviews.
But how many people can talk about life in IB in emerging markets, especially Taiwan? Should be a good differentiator and an excellent "life" experience. Good luck with the interview.
No brainer. GS Taipei.
No brainer. GS Taipei.
Would you not want to work in Taipei for FT? Unless you prefer the culture at MS/Laz/Bstone, not sure why you would be interviewing for FT coming from GS.
get an offer first dumbass
y dont u get an offer first b4 playing hypothetical games?
bad day with the stock
bad day with the stock market.and I'm an ass. Much love and congrads on your job offers.
Re: get an offer first dumbass
y dont u get an offer first b4 playing hypothetical games?
i'm obviously still going to finish the interview process with them and then decide if i do get an offer, but i didnt want to wait until after i get the offer to ask for people's opinions because i have to take my offer pretty soon.
read before you start hurling insults man.
....
Most of you people are so clueless it's painful. First, experience trumps name almost always. To use a consulting example, McKinsey Cleveland. Great name, bad location and bad experience. And the McKinsey name is not all that matters, because everyone knows you were in the Cleveland office, so they discount you. Same goes for investment banks.
After 2-3 yrs of working if you try to change shops you will NOT be judged on the name of the bank you're coming from, but what you actually did for the past few years.
And second, the OP should not even be debating name, you should be debating where the hell you want to live. If you don't want to start your career in Asia then I don't care if you get a damn double offer from MS and GS at the same time--dont' go!
This is a US vs. non-US decision first. Then it is a matter of the best experience. Name is way, way behind that. And the fact that most of the posters on this board don't realize that just shows that most of you have zero real-life work experience and are going to be in for a rude awakening when some guy from a 2nd-tier shops walks in and takes your job away because he's been busting his ass on high profile deals for the past few years while you've been sitting in your cubicle pontificating on how cool you are because you work for Goldman....
depends
u have to weigh this...u may actually have greater scope of growth and learning with a smaller name in a big city....
what u learn n ur avenues for growth score over just a just great name
skins1
the ans given above by skins1 is pretty comprehensive....good answer
Of course skins is right
Of course skins is right about experience, GS Taipei wouldn't be the way to go as an analyst. But this just a summer internship, where deal experience isn't so important and the experience in Taipei would be unique.
skins1, my question then
Re: ....
thanks a lot guys, your