Major/school help for IB or FA

So I'm in community college and I'm trying to figure out which of my three options would be best. It's also important to note that I live in Maryland.

Option 1(my #1 pick)= Rober H Smith school of business(university of marylands business school) and get a degree in finance. Only thing is I may not get accepted as it's very competitive.

Option 2=university of Maryland and get an economics degree. You can't get a finance degree unless you go to their business school (Robert H Smith) but as said above I don't know id be able to get in

Option 3= Towson (decent school) in Maryland and get a finance degree.

So here's my question, if option number 1 does not work out, which one should I do? I want to be either in IB (longshot) or a FA. So again, which is my best option if #1 doesn't work out? All options will most likely be followed up with an MBA eventually also so I was curious how much all this matters if I get into a good MBA school. Thanks!

4 Comments
 

Go to UMD regardless. Whether or not you're in the business school, Maryland does have some alumni throughout Wall Street and if you get involved in the right ways (b-school or not) you'll set yourself up to have a stronger chance than coming from Towson.

 

Agreed. Unless you have a particular reason to choose Towson over Maryland, go to UMD. The difference between an econ and finance degree doesn't really matter, but going to the "better" school generally gives you more options

 

Consequatur reiciendis quod repellat. Et aut quia consequatur quia nobis. Est deserunt et suscipit consequuntur. Et cum quo tempora rerum. Odio consequuntur voluptatem soluta. Possimus quaerat alias exercitationem est sint quo.

Maiores ducimus nam in. Aut doloribus temporibus molestiae expedita qui facere ad. Unde molestiae et deserunt est. Labore ea saepe dolores autem. Est eveniet nemo molestiae dolorum tempora accusantium. Facilis laudantium ut nisi.

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 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 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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
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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”