GS SF TMT vs MS M&A/Sponsors vs GS NY Generalist vs Blackstone PE vs Evercore
Thanks everyone, I got the information that I needed. For the sake of remaining anonymous I have removed what I wrote here, gave a little too much information.
Definitely take BX PE if you get it. Reputation-wise it’s considered to be more selective/rigorous than any m&a/classic IB analyst role.
IMO, MS M&A > GS NY/Evercore > MS sponsors. MS sponsors has amazing lifestyle, but you’re not trained as well as these other groups and the exits aren’t quite as good. If you know you want to work at Apollo/BX/KKR/H&F etc., MS M&A is definitely the more bulletproof path to get there.
Don’t know much about GS SF TMT but think it’s a whole different animal.
GS's tech group in SF has always been #1 or #2 for as long as I can remember. Historically, analysts have placed really well all across tech, whether that's going to tech-focused PE, growth and VC firms, or into operating roles. It's a bit of a self-selected crowd, meaning people who join the tech group typically have a strong interest in tech to begin with and want to continue working within the industry and/or went to school on the West Coast and prefer to stay in the Bay Area. So most of the data points you will find will support that.
My personal advice, having worked at MS's M&A group, is that if you want to do traditional PE in New York, then you should choose MS M&A, GS New York, or Evercore (no particular order). I'm biased as an alum, because I can point to 5 years of analyst class data points -- so I can say that with a lot of certainty that you would have no problems moving to a top-tier PE firm if you really wanted to from MS M&A. Something else to consider is that, logistically, it is much easier to recruit if you are in New York. I imagine if you are from the SF office, your recruiting would need to be a lot more targeted and you would probably feel more pressure to convert. No analyst has the luxury to make multiple trips back and forth from SF to New York every time there is a final round interview.
I'd go: BX PE> MS M&A = GS New York = Evercore > GS tech SF > MS FSG.
Good luck. You really can't go wrong!
Seeing posts like these make me wonder if I'm retarded...
Congrats and good luck; all of your options are fantastic.