What Should A West Coast Target Kid Do

Hi everyone, I’m a West Coast target student (think Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC) trying to get a clearer sense of group placement in IB. I’m pretty open to a lot of areas like Tech, M&A, REGAL, C&R, and Sports/Media, and could see myself enjoying all of them. Since I don’t have one “dream” group, it’s really about being realistic with where I focus.

For example, I know C&R is more East Coast-heavy, so I’m wondering if it makes more sense to lean into Tech in SF given my location, or if it doesn’t really matter since all of these groups are competitive regardless.

Not looking for the “easiest” placement, just don’t want to shoot myself in the foot by going after something that won’t make sense strategically. I just want to give myself the best chance. Would love any advice or perspective from people who’ve been through the process.

2 Comments
 

Pariatur repellendus reprehenderit voluptatem ea ut nihil quidem. Laboriosam perferendis blanditiis molestiae aliquam qui suscipit natus. Et qui architecto dolorum consequuntur tenetur nemo libero minima. Ut excepturi soluta voluptates et dolor alias. Aut incidunt earum molestias ratione quidem est neque non.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”