Choosing A College And More

Hello!

I am a current senior in high school and aspire to have a career on Wall Street in investment banking.

I have committed to the University of Maryland, College Park at the Robert H. Smith School of Business for the major of finance. Today, I was also accepted off the waitlist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a pre-business student in the College of Letters and Science. I will have the ability to apply for admission to the Wisconsin School of Business in my first year at UW-Madison. I was also waitlisted at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor for the Ross School of Business, so I'm just waiting on that to come through. I have a couple of questions for you, and would greatly appreciate if you could answer them.

Out of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which one would you recommend for breaking into Wall Street for investment banking? Will going to one of these college make it easier to get in than the other? Please keep in mind that for the University of Maryland, College Park, I was admitted to the business school for finance, while for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was admitted as a pre-business student in the College of Letters and Science and will have the ability to apply for admission to the Wisconsin School of Business in my first year at UW-Madison.

I have another question about Wall Street recruitment. At the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are there any clubs, organizations, societies, etc. that will be essential to be in to break into Wall Street? If so, how hard is it to get into these clubs, organizations, societies, etc.? I have heard that some major investment banking companies from Wall Street heavily recruit from these clubs, organizations, societies, etc., and it is absolutely essential to be in these.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Please let me know if my questions are not clear and you need clarification. Thank you again!

10 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Hey, I have little knowledge of either Wisconsin or UMD. I will say I have seen some people from Wisconsin in IB, but none I can think of from UMD (and I'm a DMV resident). Definitely go for Ross if you get in thats a no brainer.

To help you decide, I would go to linkedin and use the more filters button to sort by school, select UMD of Wisconsin, then type investment banking or investment banking analyst into the search bar. Alternate methods are sorting by school, then selecting any bank you can think of as current or even past company. You will likely have to name LMM or foreign balance sheet banks in order to find more placements. You can find what banks are LMM/foreign on other threads here.

I would also recommend reaching out to university career services (long shot and keep in mind they will likely try to sell you). If you know any alumni or current students definitely reach out to those as well.

 

Yes indeed, I became one after reading through your post to the investment banking forum on WallStreetOasis.

 

Fugiat quisquam aliquid accusantium sint aperiam excepturi fuga. Quas officia in illo quod. Aut sit reiciendis ipsum eaque. Deserunt vero molestiae tenetur beatae quibusdam aut deleniti.

Iure reprehenderit laboriosam et aliquam molestiae. Cupiditate maxime excepturi voluptas placeat dolores magnam. Est temporibus reprehenderit blanditiis mollitia consequuntur vel consectetur. Labore perferendis vero dolores quis ex odio quo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • 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 98.9%
  • 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 (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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”