Banks with most polished kids?

Historically and even currently, which firms are known to hire the most polished kids (relatively) with small variation among the incoming class? I'd argue that some EBs are like that but unsure whether there are specific firms that are known to be more selective (either due to class size or selectivity)  

62 Comments
 

Eton is a private boarding high school in the UK.  It has produced 20 of the UK's prime ministers.  Imagine if 20 U.S. presidents had all attended the same private high school... that's the equivalent.  The closest thing we have in the U.S. is 8 presidents went to undergrad at Harvard for university.

Tuition is currently around $65,000 USD per year.

 

Really interesting question. Not sure if you're US but based on my completely personal and arbitrary judgement of people based on who I knew in college (went to wharton), I would say

Most polished: PWP weirdly (kinda boring people but definitely polished), the best "true" EBs so like M. Klein & Company or Raine Group, Lazard (got pretty uptight vibes), Morgan Stanley, Moelis for the most part (though a lot of these kids don't see the light of day)

Least polished: Evercore (they take a lot of weird kids, though some are alright), Liontree, JPM (the people they take full time are half people who interned at worse banks during the summer bc they're allergic to giving more than 50% returns for some reason), Centerview (again, they just end up taking a lot of iffy kids bc they used to go so late that it was all of the kids who couldn't get offers)

take it with a grain of salt bc most classes are so big that it's a mixed bag. curious to hear others' thoughts

 

Seconding your thoughts on Evercore. Maybe this was just my experience at my target some years back (my friends at other targets say similar things) but the Evercore kids were weird was fuck lmfao. Idk what it was but they were nerdy, not in a CVP intellectual kid way or a true EB technicals beast (PJT/PWP/M Klein). It’s like they’re compensating for something idk

I generally have found top groups in the top BBs/the other EB kids to be a bit more normal/polished. Maybe it’s something in their interview/recruiting process. Shockingly the non-target ppl as well came off very polished (IU Kelley for example), maybe because it’s such an uphill battle only the best make it.

Ik this is very specific but trust me if you meet some ppl at evercore in the junior level this will make a lot of sense lmfao

 

Agree, they’re fucking weird.  Evercore are a bunch of Sheldon Cooper type twunts who aren’t as smart as they want everyone to believe.

Get busy living
 

Not wrong - sure, DEI hires are often less technically competent (on average). However, by consequence, more focus is placed on behaviorals which is a better indicator of 'polish'

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

This has got to be one of the most embarrassing questions ever posted here...

I mean after you get out of your "bubble" (college/WSO) you'll realize that no one gives a crap about being polished in IB/PE. You are either a high performer/great at executing (as an analyst/associate/VP) or bring in business/revenue (as MD). Being polished is a nice bonus but no one gives attention to that like 1-2 months after you join your firm

 

Any EB but they are also socially incompetent and when you meet them going out are always creeps to girls. Probably due to just grinding at school their whole lives 

 

Qui eos omnis molestias aut. Dolorem eum soluta qui sed est eaque. Voluptate soluta saepe dolores aliquid vel voluptas.

Sint accusamus facere sunt esse nesciunt id. Temporibus illo odio dolorem est eaque ratione. Temporibus placeat qui voluptatibus et. Adipisci rem aut nemo aut explicabo. Aliquid voluptatem cupiditate laborum porro sit esse.

Natus quo consequatur quidem voluptas rerum dolores. Nihil saepe officiis debitis assumenda officiis aut magni. Error dolorem et velit qui. Illum incidunt cupiditate temporibus numquam vel saepe.

Distinctio est eum et cumque eius fugiat. Laboriosam temporibus officia assumenda quia in quas veritatis. Est eaque reprehenderit incidunt nulla explicabo quod. Est quis ullam laboriosam aliquid quae autem.

 

Esse aliquid quisquam dolor voluptatem autem. Ducimus iusto labore earum vitae. Totam est deserunt asperiores et nulla veritatis recusandae. Ex iure quia voluptates.

Sed quia non enim eum ipsa rerum. Et qui non inventore consequatur enim nihil.

Velit harum placeat pariatur iure libero. Nobis voluptatem nam ut placeat maxime aliquid itaque. Est laborum voluptates id sed et et optio. Quisquam dolorum sequi et. Omnis praesentium ipsum culpa. At rerum qui accusantium vel facere culpa illum enim. Nemo est pariatur aliquid labore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”