24 Comments
 

Thanks for the reply. I have been doing m&a advisory at an elite local boutique for 3 years in my home country. My goal is ibd at a bb in london or nyc. (Or even better, private equity) Don't plan on returning to my country for at least 3 years.

 

It's one of the top schools in the country...Obviously there are a couple better programs, but CBS is great for the goals you mentioned (IB/PE). Little shocked by this question...

"They are all former investment bankers that were laid off in the economic collapse that Nancy Pelosi caused. They have no marketable skills, but by God they work hard."
 
OpsDude

It's the worst M7, but I wouldn't choose any school (aside from Tuck) outside the M7 over it.

I'm not sure what "the worst M7" means. Yes, it may be the lowest ranked M7 business school according to US News rankings but OP if your end-goal is BB IB in NYC, like you stated, then Columbia is definitely one of the best schools to be at. Having worked at both a BB and now in PE, I've worked with a lot of Columbia MBAs and it is definitely a feeder school along with the usual suspects. I will say that you will probably find it tough to break into PE unless you have had prior experience...my firm hires 1-2 CBS grads/year and they always have held associate positions at PE firms prior to business school. Just my 2 cents.

“The pleasure of rooting for Goliath is that you can expect to win. The pleasure of rooting for David is that, while you don’t know what to expect, you stand at least a chance of being inspired.” - Michael Lewis
 

Agree. Columbia's not going to be a hindrance by any means for PE or IB recruiting. Aside from the fact that it's a top school students have the advantage of being physically close to all of the action in NYC much like NYU. Maybe it would be tough to get into KKR and if you get into Harvard or Wharton go there by all means but Columbia is top notch.

But being hired post MBA into PE with previous PE experience is generally true for any bschool. Not 100% of the time but more often than not they have PE experience pre MBA.

OP: what is your home country? That should probably guide your thought process and career planning more than which Ivy League school you want to attend. If your ultimate goal is IB/PE there you should look at people who work in the business in your home country and check out their backgrounds and try to reach out to a few to ask their advice. Its just so dependent on the country that there's no one solution fits all situations. France or Germany are so different than India which is so different from China or Bulgaria or any list of countries that you can't look at it as a typical US/UK career progression.

 
OpsDude

It's the worst M7, but I wouldn't choose any school (aside from Tuck) outside the M7 over it.

This makes zero sense. Don't want to make this thread another ranking fight but most people I know would choose CBS over Kellogg because I work in IM/HF.

 
Best Response

Sorry bro. I usually like your posts, but this one is deeply misguided. It cracks me up when Booth/Kellogg students insist that they are superior to Columbia and that their school is on par with Wharton. Yes, Columbia is the lowest ranked M7 according to rankings, but these same rankings also have Booth at #1. To quote Chris Carter, "Come on Man!"

You have HBS and Stanford at the top of Mount Olympus. Like Zeus, no one will dethrone them. Then you have Wharton. After that you have Booth/Columbia/Kellogg/Sloan in no particular order. Depending on factors such as career goals, location preference, scholarship money, personal fit, etc., people choose one over the other.

 

If it's Columbia vs not going at all, as others have said, it's definitely worth it as it's one of the core recruiting schools for virtually all banks.

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 

This is a personal decision. How do you expect us to answer it for you? Further, you don't just apply to one school unless that's literally the only one you want to go to, and feel confident you can get in. So if you're looking at business schools you shouldn't even have to worry about if it's "worth it" vs. other schools until you receive an offer from them.

 

Thanks a lot guys. The dilemma I'm facing is whether to apply ED Columbia or not. If I get in, I'll always wonder if I would have got in Wharton.

Anyways, one last question. If I want a career in London, is CBS better or London Business School?

 

Tenetur eos nulla eaque cupiditate doloremque. Quidem nihil vero ipsum reiciendis qui qui. Id iste explicabo praesentium voluptas magni est.

Molestiae omnis cum aperiam aliquid eum quos. Exercitationem dicta et et tempore possimus. Dolorem impedit et quo consequatur voluptas quis id. Consequatur consectetur velit aut ex et.

Ratione quis ut impedit consequatur. Velit ut eum expedita et laborum aut asperiores.

Rerum in porro totam a error fuga. Nulla aut id tempora qui nesciunt voluptas. Ducimus neque minima et et aliquid accusamus numquam. Neque ut delectus et blanditiis quia quam. Illum adipisci et et occaecati laborum beatae quidem. Doloribus amet ut nesciunt quidem. Qui saepe fugit sed excepturi in sit.

 

Assumenda necessitatibus iste ad deleniti. Qui dolorem neque laborum minima quo totam.

Esse sint quisquam facere deleniti sequi vero. Ad officiis laudantium tenetur et. Aut saepe sed assumenda quae eos rem eum. Iure non eum debitis similique quisquam exercitationem nobis. Id et expedita incidunt recusandae repellat ad. Quae libero sint perferendis et est qui hic ullam. Sapiente sed est quia et omnis.

Sed eos voluptas omnis est et. Delectus autem temporibus omnis in dolores qui. Aliquam odit laudantium sint. Voluptas et aut quibusdam facere possimus modi necessitatibus.

Dolor quos voluptate aspernatur autem qui voluptatem. Consequuntur velit porro labore sed repellendus rerum similique.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”