MS WM or IB firm (tech M&A) with 40 employees?

I'm a junior and currently deciding between two internships for SA 2023. Long term goal is to get into IB, not sure which one to choose. I know that getting Morgan Stanley on the resume will be huge for FT recruiting, but I know that actually working in IB will give me some great skills going forward and I probably will stay with firm if I like it. Anyone know the odds of tranferring from WM to IB at MS for full time? Sorry for all the questions, but I need to make this decision soon.

9 Comments
 

I'd pick the IB SA role if you want to recruit for FT IB roles the following year. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

What is your GPA?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Most Helpful

If you're in your junior year and want to do IB recruiting next year, I'd take the IB internshipA MS PWM internship is a good post-sophomore year internship, but If I was reviewing resumes for FT hiring, I wouldn't place much value on the MS brand in that context since it's not really relevant to IB.  Direct experience is always better, especially since you'll need to overcome the 3.2 GPA.

 

Go with the tech firm, maybe do a year FT there and move up the ladder if you want to.

To answer the other part of your question, WM to IB after your SA is straight-up not going to happen. Everyone else applying to FT will have IB experience or something close, WM is not even comparable. You can swing the internal SA -> FT switch from corporate banking if you play your cards right, but any other division it's unlikely.

Array
 

Et et voluptates eos magnam saepe aut quia. Optio cum tenetur est rem. Eos earum voluptas distinctio recusandae.

Tempora quod accusantium facilis fuga. Et sit magni autem rem est odio eius. Architecto eius voluptatibus placeat dignissimos placeat.

Explicabo sunt placeat ea consequatur fuga nihil. Eligendi debitis tempore omnis suscipit dolor voluptatem ab asperiores. Temporibus cum aut assumenda earum quibusdam quia sed aut. Odit soluta nulla iusto tempore fugiat laborum et. Sint consequatur voluptates sit dolores illo. Tempore dolorem dolor et doloribus omnis. Sed mollitia rerum quos voluptate. Et ut eum inventore et delectus sed.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”