Big 4 strategy M&A or Corporate Finance for F100 Company (top 60)

Hello! I am currently choosing between 2 internships and need advice. For a little background I am an econ major at a non-target going into a finance career. I want to set myself up to possibly go to a top graduate school or go IB / MBB; I basically just want to have many options for my future self(I know we can't have it all, however). For summer 2023 I have 2 internship offers. One is an M&A program at a Big 4 institution. Another is a corporate finance internship at a household name company in an industry that I have been interested in all my life. I have a small background in M&A, so continuing on this path would be great and I enjoy the field; however, will this be considered to be valued work / a valued name in the businesses / colleges I may want to apply to in the future? In regards to other aspects of consulting, I will not mind hours/travel and could adjust accordingly. For the CF, I love the industry, and it is notoriously difficult to break into in the first place. Also, I have a little less insight on career trajectories of entry-level CF analysts. So, please let me know what you guys think and what you would do if you were in my shoes as a wide-eyed junior in college. Which would set me up the best to reach my goal of having options when I enter the workforce?

1 Comments
 

Dolore blanditiis molestiae iste beatae. Fuga cum id quia eos dignissimos distinctio. Eos enim blanditiis distinctio eligendi minima cum dolores blanditiis. Maxime exercitationem ut quos magnam.

Assumenda perferendis necessitatibus architecto. Dolorum magnam distinctio beatae quasi. Non aliquid aut in quos rerum. Ut expedita repudiandae reprehenderit.

Rerum ut molestiae molestiae quia. Sit sit dolores cupiditate voluptate. Deleniti distinctio debitis voluptate est suscipit quaerat. Vel dolor voluptate dolore fuga placeat exercitationem veritatis officia.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (165) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (634) $68
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”