BB or PE internship

Hello all,

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on a mid-tier BB offer vs. a summer internship at a MF PE. I have offers at a couple firms (KKR/Bain/Carlyle/Cerberus/Oaktree/Warburg types), and wanted to know whether the early jump (I am ultimately looking to break into PE) is worth it over the training and people you meet at a BB. Additionally, the PE firms I have been talking to have been very unclear on whether FT positions are available.

19 Comments
 

Assuming you do indeed have offers from the above names, you are obviously a very qualified candidate and will not have issues recruiting for PE from banking. Taking the PE offer will be riskier, but also has greater upside potential. The question you should ask yourself is: how confident are you in your ability to perform during the internship? If you feel you can be a top performer, I say go for the PE offer.

 

if you need to ask a bunch of college kids on the internet what to do you don't deserve either option. flip a fuckin coin, it'll give you just as good an answer.

 
lion29239if you need to ask a bunch of college kids on the internet what to do you don't deserve either option. flip a fuckin coin, it'll give you just as good an answer.

If the information is useless, then why are you on this site?

Cognitive dissonance? Your attitude does not match your behavior.

???
 

I worked 2 summers on the buyside (currently a 1st year analyst) and learned a lot but would advise against it (unless it's a MF). I say this due to the lack of structure of a SA program, it will look good to have that on the resume but i think you will get a lot more deal exposure and experience in IB at a BB. I would shoot for BB and if that does not work out then fall back on the summer PE job... my two cents.

 

MM PE as an SA will not be as structured as BB IBD SA, so if you're looking to set yourself up for buy-side opps down the road, go for BB IBD, get the FT offer, and roll over in two years. Unless the PE firm randomly is one that issues a lot of FT offers from its summer class (quite atypical), you don't stand a good chance.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
A Posse Ad EsseMM PE as an SA will not be as structured as BB IBD SA, so if you're looking to set yourself up for buy-side opps down the road, go for BB IBD, get the FT offer, and roll over in two years. Unless the PE firm randomly is one that issues a lot of FT offers from its summer class (quite atypical), you don't stand a good chance.

Agreed, maybe if it's a brand-name MM firm you could get a lot of FT interviews, but at the same time most PE firms do not hire out of undergrad w/o experience. It would be easy to leverage a FT offer, IMHO, at a BB into another BB (i.e. UBS-->GS/MS) and you have something to fall back on.

Reality hits you hard, bro...
 

Agreed. PE tend not to recruit out of undergrad, and if they do, it's typically Wharton since it's the ultimate finance factory. If you get/take IBD at a BB, perform well enough to get the FT offer, you have the choice of staying with the bank or playing the field during FT recruiting.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

Vitae praesentium voluptatem eum impedit qui. Vel architecto aut expedita. Quo a vel enim fuga accusantium sunt facilis.

Quibusdam commodi quis facere magni vitae. A alias quos minima reprehenderit repellat laborum. Consequatur esse aut velit mollitia. Nostrum quia iure odit non laboriosam ducimus reiciendis. Debitis quibusdam qui autem in beatae sunt. Ut provident voluptatum aspernatur qui.

Quasi aliquid dolorem qui molestiae voluptate. Rerum expedita vel dicta ut quaerat. Repellat alias vero maiores eos occaecati. Ad quod exercitationem doloribus enim. Quam reiciendis est molestias molestiae eaque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”