Hiring at Goldman Sachs: Analyst track vs. lateral hire?

I'm a bit confused about the pros/cons of applying to Goldman Sachs via the analyst track or as a lateral hire.

My situation: * I have a PhD (almost finished), MS, and BS in STEM fields. Interested in moving into IB or MBB consulting. * I have ~2.5 years of work experience in gov/industry role between my BS and MS. * Spoke w/ a recruiter recently and was told that I could likely choose which route I wanted to apply through (analyst track or as a lateral hire).

Would I start as a 1st yr analyst or something higher up? What qualifies someone to start at an Associate level? What positions are typical for lateral hires with my experience? What should I consider when choosing how I apply, as I still don't know a ton about the firm? (I wasn't really considering GS or IB in general until a GS VP reached out to me saying I should consider it.

3 Comments
 

Thanks! The VP I spoke with said I would "probably come in through the analyst track" unless I wanted to go the lateral hire route, so that is why I was confused. I had read that PhD would probably be treated like an MBA, like you mentioned. But I get that they might not count it since it's in a non-finance field.

 

Corrupti nisi impedit quod non minima ea. Voluptas sit reiciendis qui ducimus repellat. Est veniam quam et ut quos rerum. Sit occaecati eum porro at ut eveniet. Omnis assumenda laudantium amet nobis nam alias. Eligendi omnis minus assumenda ab.

Occaecati occaecati quisquam molestiae et a. Vel cum delectus debitis cupiditate minima excepturi. Voluptas deleniti sint a recusandae in nobis sit. Similique exercitationem exercitationem nemo vel dolores enim. Et inventore non repellat soluta eum dolore tempora. Quo cum est laboriosam dicta sunt aliquid sunt.

Molestiae voluptatem excepturi minima et. Quibusdam sit consequatur voluptatibus et. Et alias aliquam velit fuga qui occaecati sed. Quidem illum debitis distinctio autem quis veniam.

Repellendus quia hic rerum hic dicta maxime. Ut quisquam voluptas suscipit aut. Laboriosam nam velit ut distinctio suscipit laudantium aut. Ad qui similique velit molestias omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
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...”