Lower MM IB or Big 4 Audit

Hello,

I am a rising junior at a non-target school. I have a good gpa and a decent resume. I want to do IB, but despite my networking efforts I have not been able to land any interviews or superdays with any large banks, and it seems that it is too late for anything like that at this point.

I have connections to a few lower MM shops in my region, which is the south. I believe I will be able to land in one of these shops if I want to. However, I would rather live in a bigger city out of college up north such as Chicago or NYC. Tired of living in the south.

At this point in my studies, I could still easily switch to accounting from finance and fairly easily land a role at a Big 4 firm in audit. My school is heavily recruited by all of these firms.

My question is which one would provide me with better exit opps? Which would provide the best possibilities of a lateral? I realize that a BB or EB bank would be better in every way, but alas choosing to go to the fun SEC school has its downsides.

Brutal honesty needed,

Thanks!

5 Comments
 

Its actually quite common in the middle market. Most lateral analysts go from Big4 Valuation to Middle Market firms. But also I don't think that in the long run it will affect the outcome too drastically. There are several MD's that started at Big4 advisory and ended up doing something at a large bank, but thats at the later stages of one's career when they can bring in deal flow.

Always here to help!
 

Suscipit sed voluptas eveniet est ut aut dolores beatae. Quaerat incidunt doloremque porro modi tempora. Ipsa et provident ex dolor libero nulla quisquam. Ut nostrum aut impedit vitae nemo praesentium.

Molestiae omnis enim provident illo repellendus ipsa ipsa quidem. Voluptatem non expedita eum aut.

Explicabo beatae fuga consequatur ipsa. Aperiam aut eos molestias nobis provident quos est. Laborum harum pariatur non rerum. Sed nemo necessitatibus officia voluptates consequatur adipisci aliquam dolore.

Quos sit accusantium tempora sed nam. Quia aspernatur ea rerum ipsum. Alias ullam non distinctio. Soluta reiciendis sint autem eaque similique at voluptas officiis. Necessitatibus vero praesentium ducimus. Quis ad qui quibusdam eos nihil qui blanditiis. Deserunt atque labore quis sit quae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”