Applying to internships that are in "non traditional" financial centers?

How many of you apply to internships that are in "non-traditional" financial centers? We all know NY, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, HK, etc... as being the cream of the crop but how many of you apply to other places?

I'm filling in this off-cycle internship application form for Goldman and there are lots of different locations:

ex: Tel-Aviv, Johannesburg, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia.

Do you think that I have a better chance at getting an internship if I apply to one of these? Will there be less fierce competition? I was thinking of applying to at least 1 of these (out of 3 total). Not that these places aren't good but I'm guessing the competition to land an internship is smaller in Johannesburg than in New York.

What do you guys think?

4 Comments
 

We have to compare apples to apples here. For example, the Salt Lake City office as far as I know, doesn't have IBD if that's what you're looking for. They're going to be all the Mid/BO roles, which at the internship level are going to be inherently less competitive (I guess one can argue at some mid-top levels, there are some MO/BO roles that can be more competitive).

Sometimes lies are more dependable than the truth.
 
Best Response
Ultima-RDKWe have to compare apples to apples here. For example, the Salt Lake City office as far as I know, doesn't have IBD if that's what you're looking for. They're going to be all the Mid/BO roles, which at the internship level are going to be inherently less competitive (I guess one can argue at some mid-top levels, there are some MO/BO roles that can be more competitive).

I thought GS was moving some FO out to Salt Lake? I only say this because I only sightly heard a story on Bloomberg about them moving out there for lower taxes, good crop of students from Brigham Young, etc. However I may be wrong.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
 
streetwannabe
Ultima-RDKWe have to compare apples to apples here. For example, the Salt Lake City office as far as I know, doesn't have IBD if that's what you're looking for. They're going to be all the Mid/BO roles, which at the internship level are going to be inherently less competitive (I guess one can argue at some mid-top levels, there are some MO/BO roles that can be more competitive).

I thought GS was moving some FO out to Salt Lake? I only say this because I only sightly heard a story on Bloomberg about them moving out there for lower taxes, good crop of students from Brigham Young, etc. However I may be wrong.

I'm pretty sure research is already there. I hadn't heard of them moving IBD there but could be wrong.

Sometimes lies are more dependable than the truth.
 

Molestias modi labore itaque accusamus voluptas. Repudiandae officia facere est rerum exercitationem. Laudantium explicabo et dignissimos nulla nobis repellendus consequuntur.

Ab nihil quidem aut tempore magni ea non maxime. Unde ea aut eligendi iure enim occaecati. Cupiditate facilis vero dolores quod id. Quia et eveniet nemo explicabo commodi quis exercitationem cum. Voluptas voluptate et rerum velit sit incidunt in.

Quos neque placeat et adipisci. Ab in ducimus qui voluptatem est sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”