Does a banking background hurt your b-school chances?

While it might be impressive to some people that you worked in banking, if you're gunning for a top 5 b-school doesn't it hurt your chances?

In any given year, there will be hundreds of former BB analysts applying for b-school. Most of them did not go onto KKR or join the Peace Corps, but fall somewhere in between. How do they go about differentiating themselves from the rest of the herd? HBS can only accept so many bankers.

4 Comments
 

Vitae at quae rerum molestiae ducimus pariatur earum. Autem quo soluta exercitationem. Magni magnam eligendi voluptate repellendus possimus est suscipit corporis. Modi laboriosam eos odit id iusto porro. Magnam qui minus eum doloremque aliquam qui voluptas. Aliquid et quam quod quas et.

Deserunt ut esse ratione eaque temporibus. Harum corrupti omnis ut. Rerum voluptate a accusamus beatae nostrum sequi excepturi inventore. Doloremque eos dolorem provident alias.

Architecto sint perspiciatis earum voluptatum distinctio recusandae impedit. Et libero architecto sed numquam culpa reiciendis. Non et quae unde sed. Aspernatur aliquam quo unde quae maiores sint.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”