UT Austin Economics?

Hey everyone,

I’m a first-year student at UCLA majoring in Economics. Honestly, I’m not enjoying the experience here and am strongly considering transferring to UT Austin.
Long term, my goal is investment banking on Wall Street. McCombs would obviously be ideal, but I know how competitive McCombs external transfers are so I’m trying to be realistic. Since I also genuinely like economics, I’m considering transferring into UT Austin Econ.
A few questions for people familiar with UT / Texas recruiting:

How strong is Wall Street IB placement from McCombs, and how exclusive is that pipeline to McCombs students?

What do Wall Street outcomes look like from UT Econ (non-McCombs)?

How disadvantaged is UT Econ vs McCombs for NYC IB specifically (BB/EB)?

Do banks still seriously recruit UT Econ students if they’re involved in finance orgs, have strong GPAs, and network well?

All else equal, would UT Econ be a downgrade / lateral / upgrade vs staying at UCLA Econ for Wall Street IB?

I understand McCombs is the clear feeder, but given transfer risk, I’m trying to assess whether UT Econ is still a viable path to Wall Street if I execute well. Adding on, I would be much happier at UT. Appreciate any honest insight, especially from UT grads, McCombs students, or anyone who recruits there.