Questions about the investment banking industry

Hello, I am new to this forum. I am currently a freshman at West Virginia University who is pursuing a finance undergraduate. I plan on getting a finance mba after that and was wondering how competitive an investment banking career would be. If I didn't make the cut in investment banking could I use that mba for anything else? I was interested in corporate finance aswell but heard you just need an undergraduate for that. Should I shoot for investment banking and do corporate finance if I don't make it?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

Welcome to WSO. I would highly suggest spending some time search the forum as your scenerio and questions have been addressed many times before.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the industry a bit more, some things to consider would be networking or possibly transferring to a target if that is an option, getting some IB internships under your belt, and avoiding that MBA at all costs. You can only get one MBA, so once you get that MBA, it's done. Getting an MBA right after UG would really not serve you much of a purpose as you would have a fancy degree, but no work experience whatsoever.

 

Neque sed itaque voluptatem id ad nihil. Aliquam earum eum earum dignissimos veritatis architecto quaerat. Labore sint necessitatibus dolorem quo. Voluptatibus ad error ipsum. Tempore aliquid nostrum explicabo quia. Neque hic sint eos maxime harum.

Iste voluptatem iure placeat nisi. Non et dolorem quis quibusdam repellat est eum.

Porro consectetur delectus sit eos sed. Dignissimos quos omnis in molestiae. Neque repellendus exercitationem fuga distinctio et vero. Corrupti corporis dignissimos ex tempora eos. Possimus molestiae minima placeat optio. Ab aut illum quia similique. Doloremque ipsam laborum at fugit pariatur ut eius.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”