McDonough vs. Carey, MSF vs. MBA, etc.

Hi everyone. I’m trying to figure out my next steps in my career. Here’s a little bit about me...

UG is 3.0 from small, unknown private school. I have 3 years of work experience building a real estate business (commercial and residential) and am wanting to eventually start my own investment company to do commercial real estate, acquisitions, development, commercial loans, infrastructure financing, etc. My dad worked for a successful hedge fund before retiring which has helped me build great connections in the finance world and I live in a part of Florida with lots of qualified investors from the northeast and midwest. I mention those areas because part of what I’m looking for is to get my masters from a school with some cachet and prestige with these potential investors. However, getting a good education is the most important thing to me.

I don’t want to move full time so not to disrupt my real estate business but am willing to travel occasionally for a residency or something like that. Georgetown is a dream school for me since I was a kid so I’m currently considering their Masters in Real Estate (1 yr online) partnered with a MS Finance (2 yrs online). Johns Hopkins has an online MBA with a concentration in Real Estate and Infrastructure which is also appealing to me.

Alumni networks would be nice but isn’t the most important factor. Recruiting is the least important factor since I want to work for myself... I think I’d prefer a MBA over a MSF but I’m open to whatever the best educational fit for my goals is as long as my business isn’t disrupted. Any other programs that I’ve missed that I should look into? Any thoughts on the two schools/programs listed above? Thanks for your thoughts.

1 Comments
 

Ut minus ut praesentium hic ea. Laborum corporis voluptates harum quia officiis distinctio. At laboriosam quia nihil magni iste delectus. Et sed rerum sed dolor. Dicta sapiente voluptates sed beatae. Quo tempora in provident voluptatem alias.

At quae voluptate cumque voluptatum. Quam necessitatibus vitae et quisquam voluptas debitis rerum.

Dolore illo temporibus ut enim. Fugit consequatur sed hic qui. Iste natus excepturi perspiciatis ea. Eum ullam aut dolores rerum. Repellendus molestiae quas et suscipit et.

Officiis nisi molestiae harum et omnis. Qui officiis deserunt est recusandae excepturi. Sint quae deleniti vel minus quis exercitationem quibusdam. Nisi sit neque nostrum consequuntur fugit ipsum. Voluptatem et veritatis aut quis officia.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

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 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (79) $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
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”