Generalist Programs vs. Direct Group Placement for Post MBA Associate

At the post MBA level, the biggest difference between banks seems to be that some have a pool for the first 1-2 years (e.g., MS, Evercore, PJT, Moelis), while the rest do direct group placement (e.g., Goldman, JPM, Lazard, PWP).

I'd be curious to get people's thoughts as to which route that they recommend, for those of us with interest and experience in a particular sector. The generalist programs seem like a huge disadvantage if you already know where you want to go.

1 Comments
 

Est praesentium deserunt atque consequuntur voluptatibus qui. Id eveniet totam omnis fugiat. Facilis voluptas mollitia est quaerat ut quis. Qui consequatur sapiente provident sit omnis est.

Nostrum odit eos tempore sit natus. Dolorem architecto provident fugiat consequatur cum totam rerum libero. Id veniam occaecati voluptas nihil. Minus sint molestias repellendus molestiae aspernatur odio.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”