As the title suggests, I just wanted to ask about the target unis in the UK, and in particular see if there are any differences between IB targets and MBB targets.
for context I’m doing my UG from Warwick.
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are the differences in target universities for Investment Banking (IB) and MBB consulting in the UK:
Investment Banking (IB) Targets:
MBB Consulting Targets:
Key Points:
Additional Considerations:
This should give you a clear understanding of the target universities for both IB and MBB consulting in the UK.
Sources: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/ib-vs-consulting?customgpt=1, Target Schools For Consulting Megathread, What’s Harder? MBB or EB/BB, 2018 UK Target Uni - MSc - for FO jobs: put your POV, What’s Harder? MBB or EB/BB
For MBBs, Oxbridge (and some selected international unis, mostly Harvard/Stanford/Yale/Princeton come to mind) are targets, LSE/Imperial are semi-targets
yea adding on this i think ucl gets a few people at mckinsey every year but uk mbb is dominated by oxbridge( atleast 50% of total intake)
Of course you can get in from a non-target, it's just harder (most of the people I met from LSE raised money for their startups etc)
So is Warwick a non target for MBB consulting ?
Yes, non-target. There are some people coming through (though can't say I ever met one) but it's rare and they tend to be outstanding in some ways (or diversity etc)
Curious but why is MBB so elitist with regards to uni vs IB where it’s much more diverse
Also interesting how much it differs based on the office. Looking at MBB roles in DACH/Nordics for example, there’s a great mix of target/non-target Consultants
Because consulting firms sell consulting services (I.e. they charge day rates) and therefore need a brand to sell to F500s (I.e. here are a bunch of oxbridge grads to help solve your problem). IBs sell actual M&A advice and just need smart hard workers to create this.
Because we have to be. There are 700-800 spots in any IB class in London across all the BBs/EBs and only c. 100 spots at MBBs (where the competition is bigger than people interested in business/finance - we have sportspeople, musicians, artists, startup founders applying as well)
At one of MBB, recent interns were just under 50% Oxbridge with the rest coming from a wide range of Russel groups. Fyi for Warwick particularly, I know multiple in M and B so must be viewed quite well.
Okay thanks, good to know.
There was a BCG applicant scoring matrix for London / Euro offices that was leaked many years ago
see if you can dig it up somewhere
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