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

 

Quis nisi voluptas illum eum officia ex praesentium. Possimus quo deleniti dolor doloremque aperiam est. Iure veritatis aspernatur quidem eaque vel corrupti error.

Molestias itaque ut porro modi deleniti placeat. Voluptatem non voluptatem ut rem et quae accusantium. Unde nam sed expedita eos aut dicta. Cum suscipit ea eveniet quis quas.

Iure non praesentium culpa quas tempora facilis. Sit doloribus alias suscipit expedita saepe soluta. Est rem alias ipsa repellat tempora quia mollitia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 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

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”