Need SPICY opinions to help decide between Chicago Booth and CBS

Grateful to have gotten into both but need advice on where to go.

I have a non-finance background (technology mgmt consulting) and would like to pivot into finance with my MBA. However (controversially), I'd like to skip the IB gauntlet. 

My list of roles that I'd want are:

  • HF Analyst (non-quant fund, fundamental, value, etc.)
  • Equity Research
  • Sales & Trading, Prop Trading
  • AM
  • VC
  • LMM PE (or any smaller shop willing to take nontrads)
  • Finance Ops/leadership for a tech startup or PE portfolio firm
  • More Technical niches of IB like Rx and LevFin?
  • Whatever else

I mainly want roles in finance where I can be buried in spreadsheets and analysis all damn day long. I want to do as little pageantry for clients as possible (sick of that shit). No more damn status tracker dashboards and meeting agendas.

The list is big because I understand being a non-finance background MBA student is an uphill battle and I can't be picky.

From what I understand, Booth and CBS are two of the best places to swing big and shoot shots. But the consensus on which to pick for these two is mixed and vague.

Does anyone have any SPICY opinions they're willing to share? Cut the crap and marketing, just give it to me straight? Which would you recommend or not recommend? Is living in NYC a shitty and overpriced experience? Are Boothies nicer and more willing to help each other? I'd appreciate the unvarnished truth!

Best MBA for non-finance MBA to break into buyside

Chicago Booth
33% (19 votes)
Columbia Business School
37% (21 votes)
See Results
30% (17 votes)
Total votes: 57
11 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I’d go Booth. Alum of neither but have met some great people coming out of there. In terms of your career hopes, prop trading no longer exists within BBs after Dodd Frank so if not at a quant shop it’ll be unlikely. Most EBs that have Rx usually have a generalist internship so no full guarantee you don’t get put in coverage (certainly exceptions). LevFin usually hires specifically so might be more direct if you choose that route.

 

CBS is like the Stern of MBA programs. Solidly a top target with enough prestige, but it's really a very competitive, high-paced environment where people only basically just care about outcomes. 

 

This is my thoughts as well. Booth has the better vibe and imo the people seem smarter and more collaborative there. But CBS VIP supposedly is a legendary career pipeline into hedge funds. It's hard to ignore that.

 

Hey, if you ever want to break into any of those industries, please stop talking like that.

Thanks!

 

Qui reprehenderit odit ea non in provident sunt. Doloribus debitis soluta cum necessitatibus sunt eum. Quibusdam id nemo iure vel. Provident in nihil tenetur et maiores sed omnis possimus. Sit illo odio saepe fugiat rerum deleniti deserunt officia.

Voluptatibus qui vel ex quia et. Incidunt quia nihil omnis eligendi necessitatibus. Quia sequi qui consequuntur neque rerum quam recusandae. Veritatis et sed cum aut placeat vitae rem. Occaecati in perferendis et provident illum aspernatur ut.

Ut ipsum quidem laboriosam deleniti ut et. Et qui officia explicabo illo eos dolor autem. Sunt architecto qui tempora vero molestiae harum. In pariatur eos aliquam expedita tempore qui rerum. Atque nostrum quis quos perferendis non sed voluptatem.

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 02 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”