Internship at Barcap or Oliver Wyman FS

Given a choice between a summer internship at Barcap IBD and at Oliver Wyman Financial Services, what's a better bet in terms of keeping longer term options open for M/B/B consulting and an MBA? I don't know very much about how OW FS is viewed in the consulting industry. Also, is it easier to switch from a finance internship to consulting or FS consulting to general consulting? M/B/B all participate in on-campus recruiting at my school...

6 Comments
 
Best Response

US or EMEA?

It sounds like you're not particularly interested in financial services, and really just want to keep your options open. Barcap isn't good for IBD, and OW is the joint FS sector leader, but it makes conversion of an OW internship pointless. That said, you hardly specialise in an internship, and so it will be good for CVs when applying to MBB grad. If you don't want to apply to IBD grad, just take OW.

It's kind of impossible to advise you without knowing your preferences and aspirations in more depth. Do you actually have offers from both?

 

Both opportunities will get you first rounds at M/B/B in the fall (I'm assuming your GPA is legit - otherwise you wouldn't have these offers).

Others can debate the perceived prestige of the two opportunities, but I'd recommend OW FS if your goal is M/B/B. After spending a summer consulting, case interviews will be something of a breeze -- you'll speak the right language, think the right things. I interviewed around after a summer consulting internship (which was M/B/B) and found case interviews to be a million times easier.

 

That's really interesting advice, thanks! In terms of future aspirations, ideally I'd like to have a good consulting job full time. I just don't know if top tier consulting companies value the brand name of a good bank (and the experience gained therein) over that of a second tier consulting company.

 
bearclanThat's really interesting advice, thanks! In terms of future aspirations, ideally I'd like to have a good consulting job full time. I just don't know if top tier consulting companies value the brand name of a good bank (and the experience gained therein) over that of a second tier consulting company.

If it's consulting you want to do, go with OW. They're the top name in FS, and whilst companies outside the industry don't often realise this, everyone in MBB will.

 

Quo dolorum at non praesentium ipsum tempora. Qui commodi nihil reprehenderit dignissimos autem repellat. Nulla dolor dolor sed veniam fuga quis nulla ut. Voluptas earum sapiente inventore amet. Eos vero et doloribus quos veniam voluptatem placeat.

Maiores et et ea possimus mollitia. Et repellendus impedit ea sint velit dolorem nihil. Sit aliquam molestiae enim. Ut corporis expedita excepturi sint est assumenda veniam. Sed quis et accusantium. Modi at aliquam sint accusantium dolorem. Vel dolor omnis et harum.

charts
Better Odds of Getting Into Consulting With WSO
We help you land the role or you get free tuition.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (170) $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 (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (632) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”