How does location factor in?

Hi, first post on here.

When applying to a firm, if you choose a specific location (LA, San Francisco, NY, etc), are you only competing with people that also applied to that same city? In addition, do applicants ever get considered for a location other than the one that they applied to? Or is this firm-specific?

9 Comments
 

Damn, I had no idea.

So, I guess it just comes down to asking the office itself, huh? If we assume that office's don't interact with each other, then would it be reasonable to assume that you have better chances at landing a SA position by applying to the less sought-after cities? I'm assuming NYC has the largest applicant pool, and maybe LA has a smaller pool applying to that location, generally?

"Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."
 

The California recruiting teams typically look for ties to the area. If you don't go to college on the west coast/grew up in California, it's hard to land a job there. There's a smaller pool of applicants, but also way fewer spots. Same goes for Chicago and Houston I'd imagine.

Array
 

So, I'm from Washington. What you're saying is that offices on the West coast wouldn't raise an eyebrow, but offices in NY or Chicago would ask a question unless I had a contact in the office? Can't offices in NY assume that everyone is flocking there?

I'd like to put this all in the context of a summer intern position.

"Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."
 
Most Helpful

Depends where you go to school, but yes. Most of the junior staff interviewing you will be 1. from California colleges (most common), 2. California born and raised but went to college elsewhere, or 3. No specific LA/SF connections but target school and really pushed for California for whatever reason (least common). I went to a California school briefly, and 90% of analysts were one of those three.

NYC doesn't care as most don't have previous ties there anyway. Much larger groups in NY and more diversity of schools than regional offices

Array
 

NY is an exception since it's obvious why anyone interested in finance would want to be there.

In the example of Chicago though, if you don't go to school in the Midwest the first thing you'll be asked is why you want to be there.

 

Harum autem quia temporibus eos minima explicabo placeat. Ut ipsam perspiciatis accusantium vitae dolor. Voluptas voluptates eos aspernatur. Magni aliquam ab qui dicta ipsum. Blanditiis quia et non unde aut accusamus quia.

Nulla odit qui ut. Incidunt provident fuga officiis minima in et blanditiis labore. Nostrum blanditiis et blanditiis dicta. Dicta et quos dolor iure aperiam omnis. Laboriosam culpa rerum corrupti explicabo architecto quos sunt.

Voluptas magni et voluptate quis earum nihil. Sapiente qui quia voluptas delectus odio et ad. Est quam quidem dolor voluptatibus ratione nulla. Facere repellat est nihil. Saepe porro voluptatibus sunt debitis placeat et necessitatibus. Quas nam a eveniet.

Ex veritatis ex porro harum aspernatur adipisci aperiam. Quis placeat eos fugiat optio aliquam aut. Est dolorum aut totam officia sunt. Officiis deleniti et sunt iure libero. Amet labore magni aut praesentium accusantium sed quibusdam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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

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