What school should I attend?

I am currently a senior in high school, and I'm deciding what college I should attend. I wanted to become an investment banker, however I realized that it is not a career that I want because of the long hours and stressful environment. Now I shift my focus to other careers such as DCM/ECM and corporate/commercial banking. My question is do I need to attend a target school (like investment banking) in order to break into these fields? btw I am deciding whether I should attend SUNY Geneseo or Indiana University.

9 Comments
 

Oh goodness. I wouldn't spend the extra money. Work hard at SUNY and see if you can transfer to a target if you crush it there. If you can't transfer to a target (where you won't be paying out the wazoo) then spend that time networking to break into the industry. Cornell takes transfers. NYU and Columbia I don't know much about.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 
Best Response

"My question is do I need to attend a target school (like investment banking) in order to break into these fields?"

DCM/ECM, yes, recruiting is similar to IB - you would probably want to go to a target. For corporate/commercial banking, if you want to work for this division at a large multinational bank like JPM or Citi, then yes, you want to be at a target school. HOWEVER, there are lots of commercial/corp banking jobs at smaller, more regional banks that recruit from what IB would consider non-targets.

As far as IU vs. SUNY Geneseo, did you get into Kelley at IU? I don't know anything about SUNY Geneseo but if you got into Kelley and do well in college/major in accounting/finance, you will have a very good chance at getting a well paying job at like a Big 4, with the added potential of IB, especially if you get into the banking workshop. Also keep in mind that your career goals may very well change while you are in college.

 

If you are absolutely sure you can do well and get into Kelly ex post, then IU. Be honest with yourself, because college can throw a lot of variables at you (Greek life if huge at IU, and can definitely impact your GPA) and IU is absolutely not worth the out-of-state money if you don't get into Kelly. The safer option is the SUNY>target route, but also be aware that transferring could suck after you make a solid base of new friends.

Good luck!

 

Quidem dolor sunt odio ab vel. Ex exercitationem in molestiae libero praesentium. Sunt eos optio officiis aperiam provident occaecati temporibus. Dolorem corrupti temporibus quasi laborum dolorum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”