Hard Talk: Booth vs. Wharton vs. CBS for Finance

Hey guys, I am very familiar with all three schools and have done significant research on the three. My question is aimed towards senior professionals on this forum, who've worked with MBA graduates of the three schools mentioned in the title. I understand what I am about to pose may come across as trivial but in terms of hierarchy (both intellectual and perceived prestige), how would you rank the three programs? Is there a big drop off among the schools? How does your private equity firm view the three schools? 

Thanks. 

PS - I understand there are old threads on this but opinions change, quality of admits change, and so interested in hearing refreshed perspectives. 

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Would agree with the above.  Wharton from a PE perspective has better placements than either Booth or Columbia for sure, but also a much larger number of pre-MBA PE candidates coming in.  You're looking at probably 20-40 people per class at Booth/Columbia with PE experience vs. about 100 (or more) at Wharton, so from funds' perspective, it makes more sense to allocate resources towards recruiting at Wharton vs. the others, which is why you see more PE on campus recruiting at Wharton (fairly significantly) vs. Booth and Columbia. Where I see people choose other schools instead of Wharton:

Columbia: candidates already based in NY who want to stay in the city and do the MBA simultaneously, might have a girlfriend / wife in NY as well.  A bit tough to justify given Wharton's proximity to NYC, but it happens for sure.  Columbia also gets a lot of international candidates from MFs in Asia/LatAm (didn't get into HSW) who haven't lived in the US before and want to be in NY.  I would say Columbia's reputation outside of the US is much stronger than it is inside the US, largely because of association with the undergrad Ivy League branding. 

Booth: candidates based in Chicago already / don't want to leave (similar to above) or candidates originally from Chicago and working in NY/SF in IB/PE who want to be back for 2 years. 

 

Libero iste nemo nobis neque. Quam reiciendis et nam molestias voluptates id. Repudiandae sit molestiae modi maiores et aliquid tempore.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/

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 (67) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”