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September 30, 2026
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Almost all SA positions will be pretty competitive. But look at some MM firms and maybe smaller botiques, that would be the best place to start.
Which one doesn't belong?
Hahah, might as well add BofA in there as well
hahaha they were the first to pop into my head....ubs probably via osmosis because I just passed through stamford
Any BB or MM firm will give you a good SA experience, don't worry about the tier just try to get something, trust me things are tough and only getting tougher out here
SA positions at good firms from BBs to boutiques and MMs in between are competitive and difficult to land. If you're thinking you won't have to work as hard to land a MM or boutique SA position re-adjust your mindset. The opportunities at MM and boutiques will be just as competitive, particularly those that are more open to non targets. Were're SA-OCR-less, have a chip on our shoulders from being shuffled to the side, hungry, and are just as dead-set on getting into banking as our target brethren. Not singling you out, just trying to offer a realistic picture that WSOers don't seem to get... its tough to get into IBD at any level.
Just to add on to this (which is spot on). However they are not easier, if you are applying to... say Houlihan Lokey's Boston (or some other small hub) office, you will have an easier time in one aspect. You may not be competing with nearly as many 4.0 Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, and NYU kids. But either than that, there will still be alot of comp from semi and non target kids with just as high ambitions as many Ivy kids.
Which one doesn't belong?
(quoted from above)
EDIT: I was wrong
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