Girls Who Invest vs. Mid-tier BB for Sophomore Summer

Hi! Not sure if this is the right place to post. I am relatively new here.

I am a sophomore and recently got offers from a mid-tier BB for their sophomore program and also from Girls Who Invest summer intensive program. It includes four weeks of finance training in Wharton/Notre Dame followed by a six-week internship with an asset management firm. Their partners include Goldman, TPG, Blackstone, BlackRock, D.E. Shaw, etc. Just to name a few. I am not so familiar with this program but seems like the previous classes have placed well.

I am not sure if my final goal is to break into PE after banking yet, as of now I am really interested in the corporate side so GWI seems to be a great opportunity to get some insights on buy-side work and see if I like it. I heard that GWI also has a great network that could be life-long and I can also meet a lot of others girls from all over the country. However, for GWI, it is definitely not as reputable as a BB as it is new. Also I have no control on the placement process so I might be placed in some firm that I do not like as much in some random cities.

For the BB Sophomore program, I have the chance to return for junior summer, and it should be more established with training program/placement. But I lose the chance to experience the buy-side work.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

15 Comments
 

Think you will learn a lot from the internship over the program. Placement for sophomore interns tends to be lights out if you do decide to switch firms after the summer, prepare and network hard with female/alum advocates at your target firms.

You meet at TON of people in a BB internship too so I hope this mitigates your concerns over having a smaller network.

ALSO, I am certain that a GWI alum would be more than willing to help you out or speak over the phone with you regardless if you went through GWI because they tend to be grateful and willing to help another girl learn/get to finance.

 
Most Helpful

Lol I was LITERALLY in the same exact situation as you - BB and GWI offer. Really difficult decision but ended up taking the BB for multiple reasons (1) BB has higher chance of a return offer (2) GWI internship is only 6 weeks (3) You would be spending 4 weeks in a classroom with only girls. I felt like that environment would just keep me sheltered from the real world - in which most of the people I'd be working with are guys (4) The placements range drastically - you could end up working anywhere from Blackstone to some school's endowment (5) I like large-firm corporate culture and I knew I wanted to experience that. Many hedge funds/buy side firm placements for GWI are small (6) While the GWI network is great, networks at BBs are also great (7) People who did the GWI program ended up recruiting for BB's the next summer anyway. Buy side firms prefer you have BB experience for a couple years before you work for them That being said, GWI is still a phenomenal program for all the reasons you mentioned, and this was a really difficult decision for me with the tight reply deadline. But these are the reasons why I personally ended up signing with the BB. Anyways, congrats and good luck with everything!

 

Dolore excepturi vel officia cumque. Ab vitae eum tenetur voluptatem. Architecto cupiditate occaecati est vel quisquam ut qui. Dicta atque voluptatem fugit ex corrupti cupiditate ut fugit.

Amet rerum veritatis aspernatur aspernatur architecto dolores maxime sed. Illum enim vel explicabo laudantium deserunt id quos. Dolorem natus aliquam quam nulla earum. Excepturi quam at et quia iusto nisi numquam ut. Cupiditate deserunt sint qui est. Quibusdam beatae nam eius a corporis ducimus. Quis possimus blanditiis est quis.

Et repellendus at quos quis velit natus dignissimos rerum. Explicabo sint quas molestiae distinctio ipsam sit sit. Amet rem sed esse unde. Labore aut commodi voluptas et. Dolores accusamus saepe accusantium vitae dignissimos exercitationem. Saepe optio ratione qui omnis beatae explicabo. Autem voluptas earum ad.

Dolor eius error reiciendis sed. Voluptas libero nesciunt vero culpa ea. Voluptatem odit aperiam facilis voluptatem quis blanditiis aliquid. Excepturi cumque repudiandae architecto tempore. Veritatis odio non ducimus nihil est ut assumenda quasi.

Array

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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...”