GS Classic vs. Financing Dilemma

Hello, I'm about to submit my GS IB 2025 SA app, and I'm still torn between whether to gun for classic or financing.

First off, I go to a target and have networked with three associates and three analysts, all the associates and one of the analysts having been from financing. I was first of all wondering whether GS splits their recruiting teams between financing and classic?

I've advanced relatively far with a couple of buy side firms, but IB has been slow and I'm getting a bit nervous. Even though I'd likely prefer working on the classic team, financing seems like a safer option, and I don't have an abundance of opportunities right now. One other consideration is that I have done very minimal technical preparation.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated, as I'm really at a crossroads. Thanks

7 Comments
 

This is a total no brainer. Former GS classic banker here. Go classic. You don't learn anything useful in financing, no modeling, and way way harder to land a PE role give you're not involved in M&A processes. ECM has like no transferable skills and DCM/LevFin is barely better. Other product groups are a joke in terms of what you learn at a junior level. Classic, on the other hand, will be a great experience. 

 

Closer:

This is a total no brainer. Former GS classic banker here. Go classic. You don't learn anything useful in financing, no modeling, and way way harder to land a PE role give you're not involved in M&A processes. ECM has like no transferable skills and DCM/LevFin is barely better. Other product groups are a joke in terms of what you learn at a junior level. Classic, on the other hand, will be a great experience. 


Also is the wlb/comp the same

 

So is the fact that a majority of my networking contacts are from financing insignificant? Do campus recruiting teams join forces between classic and financing?

 

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