UniCredit FIG (Munich) vs MS ECM (London) - both are SA

Title says it all.

My goal is to land an IBD internship (summer or offcycle) at a top BB/elite boutique next year and hopefully a FT offer after that.

I'd like to spend at least 2-3 years in investment banking (m&a or other strong group), and I am keeping my mind open to different opportunities after that (HF, PE, etc.).

Keep in mind that I already have strong profile (BB FO internships and solid school, unorthodox background etc.), so brand should not be too strong factor here.

Many thanks

 

To me this seems like a no brainer...

Just go with MS ECM. It is in London and it is MS. Btw, Unicredit FIG do M&A?!? There you will probably work a lot on capital increases and debt issues.

Also, a friend of mine who interned at MS last summer told me that they don't recruit their interns on a "team" basis but, once they have selected the people to hire from the whole interns pool, they will assign each one to a team later one. If this is true (the guy will start there next summer and he is not going back to his original team) you will have a decent chance to land a non ECM-DCM role later on. Also consider that if you do well during this summer but you still have 2 years at school, they will probably offer you to return the following summer.

Finally, you will have a much stronger CV for future application with MS ECM in London than UCG FIG in Frankfurt.

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 

Thanks for great responses!

MS looked like a better choice to me as well. But from reading these forums, I always thought that GCM/ECM/DCM/CB etc. is really looked down upon by bankers/traders.

Also, given my profile, do you have any opinion how would internship at McKinsey or Bain in Switzerland position me towards next years? I don't have an offer and this is hypothetical, but I still have enough some time to answer to MS and I have very good contacts in consulting, at Bain especially. Would it stand out more? I know that it might looks greedy at this point, but competition is fierce for IBD and I don't go to top UK school or have much network there. I rarely even get interviews although I have good profile, know how to write nice CV and cover letters etc.

 
Battleship:

Thanks for great responses!

MS looked like a better choice to me as well. But from reading these forums, I always thought that GCM/ECM/DCM/CB etc. is really looked down upon by bankers/traders.

Also, given my profile, do you have any opinion how would internship at McKinsey or Bain in Switzerland position me towards next years?
I don't have an offer and this is hypothetical, but I still have enough some time to answer to MS and I have very good contacts in consulting, at Bain especially. Would it stand out more?
I know that it might looks greedy at this point, but competition is fierce for IBD and I don't go to top UK school or have much network there. I rarely even get interviews although I have good profile, know how to write nice CV and cover letters etc.

Most of the posters on this site are still in hs/college, and all they "know" from friends/sources is that GS TMT M&A is the best and everything else has absolutely no exit opps.

MS branding will be amazing for you during FT recruiting/early career - don't let a silly group be a dealbreaker. Remember that not everyone gets their preferred group (aka M&A, LevFin, or TMT) during sellday - it's about how you network/sell yourself as well.

 

Agree with cruel3a. This early in your career brand is very important for you to market yourself, and both would be great internships, but MS has the better name.

[quote]The HBS guys have MAD SWAGGER. They frequently wear their class jackets to boston bars, strutting and acting like they own the joint. They just ooze success, confidence, swagger, basically attributes of alpha males.[/quote]
 
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I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.

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