Why is it all about BB/EB on here

Let me start of by saying that I'm an analyst at a MM Bank in London, however I guess this is pretty much the same in US.

I've graduated from a good but not elite school (Durham, Warwick, European Targets like RSM or ESCP) pretty much the equivalent of schools like Cornell, Duke, Chicago. The same is true for the majority of my analyst class with some outsiders from Oxbridge, Imperial and LSE. I know plenty of other analysts and former interns from other schools + good experience at multiple different different firms such as Baird, SocGen, ING etc.

Yet the majority of people only mention BB/EB's here. I've made it into the AC a few EB's and 2 BB's and the competition was brutal. Almost everyone knew their shit and the decision often came down to "soft factors".

So why aren't more people talking about firms outside of the BB/EB space here? At a certain point recruiting is mostly a numbers game. Apply to as many firms as possible.

44 Comments
 

I know this isn’t the point of this thread, and I’m sorry but consider my question a bump so that someone else can come help you with your question. What’s UCL like? I’ll be starting there soon, and I’m curious to know whether it’s a target for London firms. It’s worth nothing that I’m an international (Indian citizen).

 

Idk, maybe it isn't. Just thought it might be relevant. Not sure why all the MS, I did help OP by bumping his thread.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by all the discussion on boutiques like DBO, Liontree, Raine, Dyal from a month ago. Nice change from the 20th BB vs EB post.

 

In London, even more so than the U.S., it matters if you want to go to PE or a HF. There are very limited spots and most recruiters won't even look at you unless you're at a BB or EB. It doesn't even matter if you have had an objectively higher quality experience at a lower tier bank. No headhunter will care to take the time to discern. Branding is everything. In the U.S., from what I can tell, you generally have more opportunities outside of banking if you're at a MM or lesser boutique.

 

You should look at the number of Wwk students in JP/MS and GS for SA right now...

 

Warwick got way better placement than Durham, RSM and ESCP. ESCP take in people from Wwk that don't do well in academics and just their for the bants

 

Coming back to threads like this make me laugh, do these people not know Warwick has more people at the banks than Oxbridge and Imperial. Not that the Uni is more prestigious or whatever stupid metric makes people happy, but in terms of sheer headcount, it’s likely only beaten by LSE and maybe UCL at most banks.

 

This is a bad comparison, they have a much higher business class size. In terms of exit opps per head, Oxbridge is much better. Even from experience in my firm and interviewing elsewhere, at top firms it was usually just Oxbridge / LSE, with a few other “marginal” spots to KCL, UCL, Imperial, and Warwick in terms of UK unis, but for the most part Oxbridge/LSE that I’ve seen in person tbh. Obviously limited sample size here 

 

Hmm... in terms of overall exit opps out of uni (not just LDN focused), ESCP is much better than Warwick, period. In terms of London recruiting only, probably equal in brand name terms (but ESCP would have better chances due to language skills, 1yr internships, etc). I just feel like ESCP usually don’t apply in London like other French like HEC and EDHEC do. 

 

Because these are the best firms and when you apply out of college, you type on google “who are the top 10 investment banks” and you apply there. Better pay generally, better brand name, better opps, better deals, smarter people, etc. 
 

Obviously there is more, but this is what people aim to first. 
 

Then is it competitive ? Hell yeah, but if you don’t apply to Goldman because you’re afraid you might not know your technicals well enough, you wouldn’t amount to much in banking anyways 

 

I've worked on a traditional MM bank and then a top BB and I can safely say that there's a huge difference in deals/clients/peers and overall experience. Execution on a $200MM sellside is a joke compared to a $2Bn one. That being said, solid MM banks can be a great starting point for juniors in the industry and maybe a more sustainable path for a longer term banking career.

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