Second Tier US or Top tier Canada? Which is better for BB NYC IB/trading?

Go to a semi-target in Canada (so non-target basically).

Looking to break into trading/IB (GPA: 7.7/10..roughly 3.4 joint hon in poli sci & econ (yeah, I know..poli sci). Drank too much in first year but have been pretty steady since.

What is more beneficial to enhance my profile to apply to top MBAs in the US? I think the market is saturated with MSFs, tbh. So I'm leaning towards econ.

Is it best to: go to one of the best schools in Canada (Mcgill, Queens, u of t) or go to a semi-target in the US? (Vandy, Duke, possibly NYU, etc.)? Or do you have any other suggestions for programs? Thoughts?

P.s. Happy Independence Day to all of you in the US!

10 Comments
 

Couple of my friends went to McGill. They ended up working for some well known BB banks in London. So I would say go Canada. But do be aware that while the Canadians use GPA like the Americans, they grade harder, at least McGill does.

 

Thanks. It's one of my choices now but their econ program really isn't supposed to be that good (there's no MSF) so I'm pretty weary about it. Also the recruitment opportunities seem kind of ambiguous for Masters students.

They do grade pretty hard here unfortunately. I go to a school with about 35000 students and I think only 8-10 or something had near perfect GPAs.

Thanks for the feedback

 

Dunno about MSF's. I just find that the market is saturated with them. But yeah. LSE (a bit of a longshot) for econ, Warwick M Fin and Econ, maybe St. Andrew's (but probably not). Lots of other good MSFs in europe (St. Gallen, HEC, Oxbrige (but nearly impossible), etc.)

 

Cupiditate voluptatem consequuntur qui voluptatem nulla voluptatem velit. Sint quo vitae dolores qui nisi dolor alias voluptate. Qui ipsum eum fugit vitae.

Adipisci illo quia sapiente deleniti qui exercitationem. Est cumque velit voluptatem voluptatem ea distinctio est ad. Officiis est at consequatur aliquid adipisci. Iste est ipsa nulla sapiente.

Sint aut velit repellendus odio provident et doloremque. Suscipit et doloribus quia ut id sit. Harum debitis consectetur eligendi quia omnis. Qui illo et neque suscipit qui tempore ex.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”