PE or IB out of college

I will be interning at a reputable PE fund this summer as a sophomore. Not a mega fund like Apollo, Ares, Blackstone etc. but a tier below. The fund has given out FT positions after internships and I would definitely be interested in taking such a position if the opportunity was presented since my ultimate goal is to work in PE. However, being that the traditional route to PE is IB and IB SA 2024 recruiting is coming up, I am trying to figure out what my better route would be…

1- wait till after the internship, which ends in August, to apply to IB SA if I don’t get a return offer 2- apply as the IB SA positions open and accept what I can get

A lot of this question stems from my overarching question, what is better out of college, PE at a UMM fund or IB at a BB?

1 Comments
 

Maiores reiciendis voluptas et esse voluptatem. Laudantium autem dolores hic delectus autem quis eum. Possimus asperiores qui voluptatum vel. Sint pariatur consequuntur vel reprehenderit voluptate. Hic molestiae qui perspiciatis earum. Sed recusandae in quidem ut aliquam aliquid quibusdam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”