Offer decision HELP

I have two offers:

1) BB (BofA / Citi / Barclays) in NY

2) Jefferies in a regional office (not NY, SF, etc.)

Option 1 obviously gives me a great bank, a great location, and a strong resume boost.

Option 2 the people that I interviewed with were VERY cool, more easy going, and I feel like I am a great cultural fit. Additionally, lateraling wouldn't be hard from either spot, so I could always be flexible down the road.

How should I think about these two opportunities? I am torn between prestige and culture. The prestigious choice makes sense in my head (option 1) but the cultural fit choice feels better (option 2). Would also be making more and saving more with the Jefferies offer.

How tf do I make this decision?

9 Comments
 

Decision in my opinion isn’t between prestige and culture but between where you want to be. If you want to be in NYC take the BB offer, if you want to be in the regional city take Jefferson’s. If you don’t care what city then my advice is that going to NYC for IB at a BB will give you the best optionality post IB.

I will say that Jefferies is known to have longer hours and although you feel like the culture is good now I wouldn’t base my decision on a few interactions with their team.

 

Be careful about signing up for a 2yr commitment based on your interactions with a handful of people. Not saying that this Jefferies team is not chill, but I personally find it hard to believe you can accurately assess this just by speaking with people. Teams will always try to sell themselves, actually working there could be an entirely different story.

Without knowing anything else, I'd strongly recommend going for the NY BB offer. It is one of the best starts you can have for a career in finance. Plus, at a BB, each group has it's own culture. For group placement, find the group that you feel you culturally fit well with. 

 

Aperiam non iste qui dolorum iure. Qui quod magnam dolorem facilis sit laudantium. Omnis laboriosam harum a ullam eos sit voluptates.

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

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...”