Clarity on Moelis

I’m heading to another EB but very curious about how people view Moelis after beginning to read this form – my school has almost 0 presence here also. My best buddy from high school is also going here and I have no idea if I should talk shit or hype him up. 

From what I’ve seen, it’s def the contentious EB. I see critiques about smaller deal sizes while seems like analysts love shilling the sheer # of sponsor backed sell sides analysts get to see. Also checked out LinkedIn and they've got a ton of random good but not target schools (ASU, Baruch, Tufts, JHU, etc.) while representation amongst Ivy undergrads besides Penn is much smaller (case in point, my school had no analysts). 

Placement seems to be very good with many MF, UMM, and HF exits without a strong target school class, but people seem to label it as a worst of the best if you will. Curious to hear people’s honest takes on where it actually stands today as it seems like the one bank on this forum people constantly meme and either think its the next coming of DBL or its a worse place to go than a household name balance sheet MM

Edit: Just to clarify and reiterate. I am making this post bc you don't call fat people fat. I didn't know if I could joke about his firm w/ him as he is a non-target that grinded his ass off. I love the guy but have been very cautious abt talking abt IB given my lack of understanding of the firm.

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They do fine, and if your friend was able to get the offer from Moelis, he should be well aware of what's up with the firm and should also have one of the best opportunities that could be provided to an analyst. I am just curious how you would think of shit talking about a place that your best high school buddy is going to regardless of what bank it is. 

 

You don't call fat people fat if you know what I mean. Guy grinded his butt off and was wondering if I had the liberty of ripping on him or not as he doesn't tell me much abt how he feels w/ the firm. 

 

I personally would hype my high school boy up no matter where he goes. But I guess that’s just me. To answer your question, Moelis is on the lower end of the tippy top tier.

 

Think about why you really care. Is it so you can feel better about yourself for going to an indisputably “better” / more prestigious EB? Give banking a few more years and you’ll realize what’s actually important and how your values may have shifted.

It’s the quality of the people who make a firm - the other things you listed pale in comparison. What if it turned out that Moelis has a better culture, and remains generally successful at what they do, though not quite to the same level as your EB? Then I’d congratulate you on your Pyrrhic victory over your friend.

 

You sound like fun to be around and a great friend. Hope this mentality results in a serious wake up call at some point, but you sound like the typical intolerable Wharton snob. May all of the BX and KKR analysts find you and laugh in your face as you fall victim to prestige mogging; clearly you're just not smart or competent.

 

If I was at Wharton I would know a ton about Moelis lol. I didn't choose where I'm going for prestige and took this over a more "prestigious" offer. See my edit for clarity my man and good luck w/ recruiting. 

 

I know the place pretty well through several touchpoints.  Didn't work there but have worked with them both on my side of a deal and opposite them in recent years, and over the years (including now) I know people there at all levels who I keep in touch with.

First things first, there are no banks, only groups.  That's overstating it a bit, but always prioritize good group over good firm when push comes to shove. Group quality affects everything from your daily enjoyment to your development to your exit options.

So even though I'm more of a group guy than firm guy, I'm very positive on Moelis as far as firms go.  Ken was a brilliant leader and his replacements (Navid as CEO and Jeff as EVP) have been preparing for that role for a long time.  They know how to build a bank and they strive to only let the best MDs in the door, which is ultimately good for juniors because you'll have good stuff to work on and smart people to learn from.  

Long hours sure, but the best IB jobs all have long hours.  Go to any bank and the strongest groups in that bank are working hard.  The worst hours you can work are when the group is struggling and you're there all night working on desperate pitchbooks.  Long hours in a successful group is the best realistic outcome you can hope for in IB.

 

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