Most difficult UK IB SA's to get?

Im a First year with a few springs (mostly big 4 and 1 ubs/db/barc) and will likely try to upgrade with something else for my 2025 SA. Could anyone who did 2024 SA recruiting shed some light on what banks were easiest/most easiest to pass based on interview difficulty/process length/overall offer rate? At Cambridge the general consensus seems to be gs, evercore and pjt as the hardest and db as the easiest to get in (through the spring), would others agree this is the case?

15 Comments
 

Converting from springs:

Not including GS as no conversion opportunity, CVP/Moelis has no spring too iirc

Tier 1 (Hardest): JPM, EVR

Tier 2 (Medium): Roths, Laz, MS, PJT, BAML

Tier 3 (Easiest): Barclays, Citi, UBS, DB,

Applying directly for summers:

Not including Laz as no summer application opportunity

Tier 1 (Hardest): GS(!), MS, EVR(!), PJT(!), PWP, CVP(!)

Tier 2 (Medium): Moelis, JPM, Barclays, Citi, BAML

Tier 3 (Easiest): UBS, DB

If pissed that your bank isn't tier 1 in difficulty just know its likely because they have diversity springs so even if those are hard to convert it rules out a significant majority of the applicant pool anyways.

Target applicant, interviewed with a significant amount of these bank. Landed direct summer offers at Citi, BAML, DB but stuck with laz from spring conversion.

 

Intern in IB-M&A:

Converting from springs:



Not including GS as no conversion opportunity, CVP/Moelis has no spring too iirc



Tier 1 (Hardest): JPM, EVR



Tier 2 (Medium): Roths, Laz, MS, PJT, BAML



Tier 3 (Easiest): Barclays, Citi, UBS, DB,





Applying directly for summers:



Not including Laz as no summer application opportunity



Tier 1 (Hardest): GS(!), MS, EVR(!), PJT(!), PWP, CVP(!)



Tier 2 (Medium): Moelis, JPM, Barclays, Citi, BAML



Tier 3 (Easiest): UBS, DB







If pissed that your bank isn't tier 1 in difficulty just know its likely because they have diversity springs so even if those are hard to convert it rules out a significant majority of the applicant pool anyways.





Target applicant, interviewed with a significant amount of these bank. Landed direct summer offers at Citi, BAML, DB but stuck with laz from spring conversion.


Don’t know why you’re getting ms’ed

 

Don’t know why you’re getting ms’ed

Exactly, this is actually extremely accurate.Probably butthurt low bb spring kids who didn't convert their spring (Its still hard just not the hardest per se)

 

Looooool idk why so many MS this, this is exactly true on every tier. 

 

Hi could I add you on linkedin or something multiple spring insight programs from gs/jpm/ms sort of banks one PE consulting and want to get some advice for summer internship applications would love to set up a call or something

 

Add Barclays and DB to that list as well. Heard last year’s spring conversion for one of the above was just a cultural fit interview.

 

Citi routinely converts 70/80% of springs, DB was bad last year, haven’t heard about barclays

 

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