title. does it matter if I was MS M&A//or smth else or GS industrials or FIG or whatever their “worst group” is. I’d understand for PJT RX, GS TMT, MS Menlo, Evr M&A/RX, but does it really fucking matter for exit opps?
| +415 | Evercore Intern Seizure | 63 | 5h |
| +128 | UBS IB Americas has failed, now behind Santander and Stiffel | 34 | 11h |
| +97 | Sent my Claude prompt to 200+ Teams chat. MD wants to see me Monday. | 34 | 2h |
| +79 | deleted deleted deleted deleted deleted | 44 | 15h |
| +65 | How do I understand vs. just memorizing? | 11 | 1d |
| +57 | Some banks are overrated as fuck | 17 | 1h |
| +48 | Associate & Above IB exits | 18 | 1d |
| +47 | The good and bad with Wells Fargo | 17 | 54m |
| +42 | Tech to IB Pivot | 22 | 5h |
| +36 | Incoming IB Analyst: Best Ways to Prepare? | 13 | 23h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
bump — i like my coverage vertical i’m going to at GS, but it’s not TMT/FIG (it is one of HC/IND/C&R). If optimizing purely for MF exit, should I try to switch groups?
how would you switch?
someone swapped from ind to fig this summer so doable. not sure if it would matter unless your background is top target/diversity where TMT/FIG might open up a chance at some esoteric fund that only hires out of the golden pathway
.
In my opinion, because of how HHs screen candidates, I think it’s like this: school —bank—GPA/Test Scores —group
I’ve seen plenty of Harvard kids from low tier BBs and worst groups with high GPAs/ACT or SAT get into MFs.
Can’t say the same for random state school with tier 1 bank and top group
headhunters wont even come to your school to speak with you on campus even if you’re GS TMT but not at top school. Plenty of people that agree with me on this website.
Yeah not surprised, school and the clubs (blackdiamond, lionfund, kudla) at the school prolly are the most important factors. then the bank, though i think GS TMT or some outrageous group like that can turn the tide even for nontargets.
I’ve seen Evercore M&A from a random state school go to MF PE.
but yeah HYPSM magna/summa cum laude and a GS/MS/JPM or EB is prolly a guarantee to a top PE
Nobody is "guaranteed" anything. Everyone at the top 3 bulges or top EB's get MF outreach; just a matter if you actually want to go into MF PE (many don't; shocking idea to people on this forum I know) and if you can convert those interviews so early given how early on-cycle runs. I went to a Target, and am aware that my school name was an advantage, but it's not as if my non-target peers got no MF interview offers; just maybe 1 or 2 fewer. I also choose to go for an MF PE as I am interested in HF exits, but for many they are looking for other things from their PE experience and choose accordingly. Have noticed that there are fewer and fewer people who want the 2-2-2 path, and many are choosing PE firms accordingly such as looking for firms with no MBA requirements or strong history of promoting associates.
student at stanford - kudla is a joke haha
It matters so much less than the college kids here think. It matters more that you go to the strong group within the firm (for BBs). The difference in exit opps is larger between BB / EB and RX as opposed to groups / sectors within BB / EB
I mean it depends. Like MS M&A probably has slightly better exit ops than MS C&R but the difference between MS C&R and MS HC is pretty marginal. Same with GS Classics.
historic exits from GS TMT/FIG tend to be the strongest but also a matter self selection of who’s in the groups. both are pretty nepo/target heavy. wouldn’t use groups within top banks as necessarily the rule
Just did PE on-cycle a year ago alongside a few of my friends at my target school across a variety of groups across banks from the BB/EB/MM spectrum from a mid-tier group in their firm to top tier in their firm.
I think it goes School>Firm>Group>GPA. This is all with the caveat that GPA is very important if under 3.3/3.5/3.7 but matters much little over that. I am putting those 3 numbers since they seem like natural cut-offs, not exactly sure what the official cut-off for GPA is set up by top buy-side firms but would assume it would be one of the 3 depending on the firm as those 3 are the typical cut-off GPA's for IBD recruiting. School and firm matter the most since they are the initial screening tools. Also have in mind that the group is a bit self-selecting as those in groups known for exits go there because they are more serious about exits. I think group matters much more for off-cycle exits since I think you do end up a better analyst if you end up in a group that has more flow due to more exposure; so can see the group mattering more there. However, given the early nature of on-cycle that matters much less.
Also want to caveat that by group not mattering much, it's also a bit of a check-the-box thing. Even if target + GS, DCM still won't get good exits. However, the difference between the two coverage groups is not that much. If you are in a coverage or M&A group, you'll be mostly fine with group with marginal difference as to what the exact group for any traditionally considered BB/EB as headhunters typically screen through the BB/EB full-time analysts first.
Edit: Despite my ranking school first, it's the only non-check-the-box category. You do still get outreach even if no-name school, but that won't be the case if a no-name firm, or a bad group (like DCM or ECM) for exits for example.
What if you come from a non-target background. Which groups are good enough to still carry you through the initial filter?
Est doloremque numquam enim animi. Ut occaecati impedit molestias itaque atque voluptatem.
Est voluptatem voluptatem consequuntur rerum ex. Qui perspiciatis voluptatem ut ipsa corporis. Voluptas occaecati voluptas et voluptatem dolores aut ut quae.
Autem tempora libero et praesentium. Et aut cupiditate perspiciatis beatae sapiente occaecati enim. Rerum occaecati non cupiditate distinctio nisi. Animi fugiat aliquid placeat repellendus. Sunt quam totam quisquam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...