How much harder is it for East coast targets to go to west coast firms compared to West coast targets? Is it smarter to go to a semi target for the west coast (UCSB, UW UCSD,etc) for West coast firms?
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For top west coast groups that are comparable to their NY counterparts (GS TMT SF/MS Menlo/Qatalyst) you need to go to a top west coast school or top east coast school. For other groups, just comes down to how well you network. For MMs in SF, any of those schools you mentioned should suffice given you have a strong academic profile and are familiar with technicals for the tech industry. LA is a different animal but the top LA groups (Moelis, HL RX, CS) tend to be more pedigree focused with top west/east coast targets. Again, you may need to network more from non target east coast and west coast schools but should be fine if at a target. Just have a good why Tech/LA from East coast
Thanks for the info. Would you know if the west coast bankers are also more pedigree focused when you network with them?
Networking is a numbers game, man. Regardless of target or not, just need to get lucky and hopefully the analyst is having a good day and willing to talk. One email won’t do, probably multiple. Take it from a guy who probably sent over 200 emails lol.
Thanks for the details!
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