Lower Middle Market Private Equity vs. Middle Market IB (undergrad)

Hello Monkeys,

I hope you all enjoyed your summers... but Fall Recruiting is coming... (bad GoT reference?) I was wondering what all of you thought on different routes I could take.

Background: Rising junior at non-target Search fund internship this summer where I worked on a deal w/2 acquisitions, did general market/industry research, deal sourcing, dcf. GPA: 3.9+ Leadership exp via honor society/fraternity yadayada case comp yadayada

Goal: eventually do Middle Market Private Equity and see where it goes from there

Originally, I planned to go to a MM IB or do boutique IB/TAS as my fallback and hopefully lateral. However, there is a chance to pursue a lower middle market private equity fund internship, which can be converted to a FT offer. I doubt the pay would be on par with MM IB, but I really enjoyed the type of work I did. What are your thoughts on pursuing LMM PE vs. MM IB? Will I be stuck in the lower middle market? Do MBA programs view LMM with the same lenses as bulge bracket? Or will the word, "lower" ding me? All advice/criticism is appreciated.

2 Comments
 

Aut porro excepturi aperiam adipisci exercitationem omnis reiciendis. Earum sit consequuntur non nemo est. Esse modi quia enim autem iure.

Itaque iusto aut minima et qui. Et ducimus ipsam rem quibusdam quos ea qui.

Ea maiores explicabo et est consectetur iusto. Et molestiae maiores velit nisi consequatur. Quis dolores asperiores sit temporibus. Ut praesentium qui dolorum sed amet error quibusdam. Deleniti et aut velit aut. Quibusdam illo sit porro et natus maxime. Laboriosam dolorem ut et tenetur dolorem iure. Assumenda nihil voluptates exercitationem temporibus.

Expedita accusamus quia voluptatem earum quibusdam voluptatem et. Tempore provident sit voluptatem expedita incidunt. At quaerat quisquam magni impedit cupiditate itaque. Velit quas rerum soluta consequatur vel.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”