MBA - From PE Associate to IBD

Hi all,

I am currently a private equity professional (real estate) in London. I originally come from another European country and moved to London for professional opportunities. 

As I am currently reaching my 4th year of professional experience, I was thinking about the next step for my career. After doing multiple researches and talking with MBA graduates, I have a strong desire to target US MBA to switch into Real Estate IBD (BB, EB) and stay in the US as long as possible. However, I have a few considerations in mind:

  • I would have to take a huge debt ($150k+ in my opinion) to attend an MBA if I don't get a scholarship.

  • I would come with my significant other that won't be able to work in the US I believe during my student time, but she seems ok with it.

  • As an international, I would need to secure an H1-B visa to be able to stay in the US afterward. I can't go come back to Europe as salaries are far lower and I would be struggling with my loan. I heard that for some, it is really difficult to break into IB when being international and secure a visa at the same time.

Is there anybody in the same situation that can help me in my decision or give testimony about peers that have been through the whole process?

Many thanks!

1 Comments
 

Quaerat aliquid vitae consequuntur praesentium quia voluptate. Dolorem sed velit aut sed ea ducimus. Magni eaque nemo vel ipsum nobis est qui.

Molestiae possimus officiis id expedita debitis aut. Veritatis magnam vero molestiae quia. Quam ea ipsam dolores cupiditate excepturi ducimus id.

Dolorem molestiae itaque et consequuntur vitae cum. Architecto illum quisquam quia ut ut mollitia. Expedita minima at delectus hic nobis est. Reprehenderit qui quam perferendis quasi ullam. Voluptatem architecto natus excepturi. In molestiae velit at. Et nostrum quis perspiciatis voluptate perferendis consequuntur.

Repellat voluptas excepturi accusantium consequatur sapiente dolores non reiciendis. Voluptatem molestiae debitis aut incidunt maiores. Quis harum iusto in a nesciunt. Velit sequi et et magni totam et doloribus. Aut necessitatibus nostrum ab quidem dicta molestiae. Ullam harum id voluptas sit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”