How do you view these 2nd tier MBA schools for IB? Thanks

Haas
Ross
Darden
Fuqua
Johnson
Edit: Adding Yale SOM

Trying to narrow my list down for applications in the fall. I am thinking about applying to 2 or 3 of the 5, but there doesn't seem to be much information around online as far as which are the best for IB placement.

Location both during the MBA program and after don't matter too much to me.

Thank you

36 Comments
 
Specialxknc22

Haas
Ross
Darden
Fuqua
Johnson

Trying to narrow my list down for applications in the fall. I am thinking about applying to 2 or 3 of the 5, but there doesn't seem to be much information around online as far as which are the best for IB placement.

Location both during the MBA program and after don't matter too much to me.

Thank you

Haas is probably a tier above the others you listed (along with Tuck, it doesn't make the M7 cut but is usually seen as being better than the other top ~15 schools). Add YSOM and Stern to your list, as they both place pretty well in NYC IBD.

 
holla_back Specialxknc22:

Haas
Ross
Darden
Fuqua
Johnson

Trying to narrow my list down for applications in the fall. I am thinking about applying to 2 or 3 of the 5, but there doesn't seem to be much information around online as far as which are the best for IB placement.

Location both during the MBA program and after don't matter too much to me.

Thank you

Haas is probably a tier above the others you listed (along with Tuck, it doesn't make the M7 cut but is usually seen as being better than the other top ~15 schools). Add YSOM and Stern to your list, as they both place pretty well in NYC IBD.

I know that in the rankings Haas is easily top 10, but if you through IB into the mix is it still a school that is above the rest? I looked at their stats and if i recall correctly they only seemed to place ~5% into IB.

 
Specialxknc22 holla_back: Specialxknc22:

Haas
Ross
Darden
Fuqua
Johnson

Trying to narrow my list down for applications in the fall. I am thinking about applying to 2 or 3 of the 5, but there doesn't seem to be much information around online as far as which are the best for IB placement.

Location both during the MBA program and after don't matter too much to me.

Thank you

Haas is probably a tier above the others you listed (along with Tuck, it doesn't make the M7 cut but is usually seen as being better than the other top ~15 schools). Add YSOM and Stern to your list, as they both place pretty well in NYC IBD.

I know that in the rankings Haas is easily top 10, but if you through IB into the mix is it still a school that is above the rest? I looked at their stats and if i recall correctly they only seemed to place ~5% into IB.

Your'e correct -- Haas does not place many people in banking, especially not NYC banking.

It's still much harder to get into Haas than a place like, say, Michigan. Haas does not belong on this list.

 

If you need to narrow down to 2 - 3 for NY IBD I would say Darden, Ross, Fuqua in some order. I think Darden is at the top of that list, but its very debatable. Have seen people from all of three of those schools at sell days and other recruiting events

 
Boothorbust

If you need to narrow down to 2 - 3 for NY IBD I would say Darden, Ross, Fuqua in some order. I think Darden is at the top of that list, but its very debatable. Have seen people from all of three of those schools at sell days and other recruiting events

I'm not even applying to Darden this coming fall because of the school's reputation as being the "hardest working" top 15 program. Why the hell do they seem so hell bent on beating students down with academic workload there? I just swapped Duke for UVA, since they're very similar in many regards.

If it's two or three of these schools, and he's looking for vanilla IBD in NYC, I'd go with Duke, YSOM, and Stern.

 
holla_back

I'm not even applying to Darden this coming fall because of the school's reputation as being the "hardest working" top 15 program. Why the hell do they seem so hell bent on beating students down with academic workload there? I just swapped Duke for UVA, since they're very similar in many regards.

If it's two or three of these schools, and he's looking for vanilla IBD in NYC, I'd go with Duke, YSOM, and Stern.

I've already got Stern into the for sure application pile. Holla_back what are your thoughts on Johnson? worth it for IB?
 

If you are socially normal and decently intelligent you can get IB pretty easy at schools like Duke, Darden and Ross. I can't speak for Johnson or Yale - probably slightly more difficult but probably doable too.

IB recruiting is about networking, doing tons of informational interviews and proving how bad you want it. It is not a matter of who is the best and the brightest, as is more so the case in undergrad. So if you have the stomach for 4 months of that bullshit dance than it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Will be heading to Johnson this August for IB. Summer placements have been very good this year from what I've heard. All the BBs come to Sage to pitch and then yeah there's a lot of Fridays where you'll have to head down to NYC for informationals. The guys in Old Ezra club are pretty clear though - if you keep to the process and follow the 2nd years advice, you'll get your offer. It's a smaller pool of prospectives so I found them to be more respective when I was applying/researching the program - which I anticipate to be similar when I'm looking at banks.

Hit up the link below for the immersion (you can also poke around to find contact info for officers in the Old Ezra club).

http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Two-Year-MBA/Curriculum/Immersion-Learni…

 

Employment reports can still be misleading because they may not be placements in IB - could be market risk or something. In my BB we only had Ut Austin and maybe one from USC. The Austin kids were mainly in the Houston office doing O&G. Like what @ab216" mentioned - look at unc, gtown, and Emory... and probs also IU Kelly. They all place better albeit not considered finance schools at the MBA level.

 
Best Response

If you want to do IB, you really should be looking at top 15 MBA programs and then some other top 25 programs that place a few people in IB--the ones mentioned: UNC, Gtown, Rice (for Hou), Emory--would throwin IU Kelly too.

Of the names you are looking at only CMU, USC and UT will get you looks (UT will likely be Hou though).

UIUC, Minnesota, Madison and Wash U may allow you do do MM in Chicago--but most will be filled by Booth/Kellogg or people from other schools that want to go back to Chicago. Minnesota can maybe get you to Piper Jaffrey in Minneapolis. Similarly, BC may get you into a MM bank in Boston. None of these will get you a legit look at BB or EB, even in regional offices. There really is a huge drop off in opportunities after the top 15 or so--the drop off is a lot more pronounced than for undergrad.

 

Hey Guys! Thank you ALL for your GREAT ADVICE!

I was quite surprised when WashU and BC were not on the recommended list. People I've talked to mentioned that WashU has both high ranking (around #20 in US NEWS MBA PROGRAM) and reputation, while BC has strong brand in Boston.

I've also like to know more about how USC is perceived in the community. The opinion I've heard about USC is quite mixed. While many ppl say that USC is a party school for rich kids, I've noticed that the job placement in USC is quite impressive.

Could any one share views on this? Thank you!

 

USC undergrads place very well (large and very connected alumni base) in Southern CA. Not so much for MBAs as most USC undergrads go on to more "prestigious" grad schools.

 

dont do a another BSc, get a MSc, you might even do two (each for one year) I have also seen that. But try to get any kind of relevant experience and apply for an MSc finace. There is really no point in doing another BSc. With a good upper second you migt have a chance at some schools, maybe not the tier ones like oxbridge/lse. You might wanna think about the gmat to compensate for gpa.

"too good to be true" See my WSO Blog
 

Get into one of those schools, and you'll be in good shape to land an associate gig. The tough road in is from a non-target school. At these places, you have firms actively recruit, so the ball is literally in your court.

PLEASE DONT CHANGE EXCEL SHORTCUTS!!!
 
monkeypokerGet into one of those schools, and you'll be in good shape to land an associate gig. The tough road in is from a non-target school. At these places, you have firms actively recruit, so the ball is literally in your court.

I second the plea to keep excel shortcuts static on pc's forever!

Big Swinging Richard
 

That's about right. As the previous poster said, the banks all actively recruit at all the schools you listed, so as long as you have a decent resume and you attend their recruiting receptions and schmooze a bit, you should be able to get the interview (and from there on in, it's all on you).

Alex Chu

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 
LMinor detail, but Dartmouth is not a second tier school.

FT ranks it 8th and USNews ranks it 7.

Officially, its outside of the M7. However, there is always debate whether or not Dartmouth or Columbia deserve that last spot at the bottom of the M7.

 

Consequatur reprehenderit et rerum est. Voluptas iste et aut dolor rerum libero. Nihil ut consequatur et. Ratione libero ipsum nam sed. Ipsa enim pariatur suscipit consequatur voluptas minima neque. Voluptate rerum repellendus quia dicta eum. Est animi quia ut laborum eius iste est.

Sint voluptatem vel ipsa qui ipsa eius. Blanditiis hic numquam qui rem harum assumenda eos. Sed odio ut dolorum sunt distinctio placeat.

Et illo ex et qui neque. Error quia voluptatem quibusdam laudantium officiis labore. Ea magni ex perferendis ut laudantium voluptatum qui dolorum. Est atque possimus ut necessitatibus quasi. Nostrum vel perferendis modi maxime. Non nisi non dolorum quia. Voluptates praesentium ut sapiente adipisci voluptatem rem aperiam.

Quia laudantium eos quae quas ipsa ea corporis. Nobis vel numquam harum voluptatem et dolores sint. Sint beatae porro voluptate dolores. Animi deleniti qui minima sint velit minus.

 

Possimus enim ab velit laborum est incidunt. Qui quis maiores excepturi ipsum aut dolores sed. Aliquid deleniti quia officia suscipit et omnis sunt. Consequatur corrupti consectetur quae dolores adipisci dignissimos. Ullam error quibusdam amet ipsum. Ducimus ut ipsum nisi reiciendis.

Et mollitia aut consectetur. Impedit quibusdam dolorum eum esse ut recusandae. Inventore voluptatem dolor illo similique aperiam laborum quam.

Dolores quas consequatur enim nostrum reprehenderit consequatur. Eos necessitatibus autem at. Totam ipsam a omnis sed earum et. Ullam cum veniam tempore quia quis consequatur.

Dolores praesentium inventore voluptas cupiditate a repellat illum. Veniam officia illo ipsam placeat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
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
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”