Stern, Darden, or Ross?

I'm looking to move from management consulting to Investment Management, on the BUYSIDE, and my current three MBA options for next fall appear to be Stern, Darden, and Ross (accepted at Stern and Darden, very confident about Ross). I'm also waiting to hear from some stronger finance schools (HBS, Wharton, Booth) and from Kellogg.

Darden's deposit deadline is due before I'll have anything definitive from Kellogg, and possibly some of the others if I get invited, so I'm trying to first pick between these three "safety" (don't get me wrong - they are all great schools, but more in the safety / target range for me) schools.

Given that my odds of a direct buyside hire coming out of Stern Darden or Ross is small, it looks like my next best options are BB bracket research or BB IBD. Given that, I'm interested to hear thoughts on which of these three schools might give me the best options.

Appreciate any thoughts.

Lastly - I have a pretty strong buy-side network in place, if i'm able to snag a pre-mba internship at one of these firms, might that position me differently?

8 Comments
 

I would go Ross over Stern or Darden but that's just me. I don't think the Stern MBA is as strong as it often gets credit for, particularly for buy side placement. I am not necessarily saying that Ross will give you a better shot at buy side IM, but it is likely a better degree with more optionality.

It goes without saying that if you are able to intern at one of these buy side shops with which you have a connection that your chances of landing at the same shop or similar after completing your program would increase.

 

I only say stern because you'll be in NYC, so you'll have better networking ops. That said, I agree ross has a better brand.

I'll do what I can to help ya'll. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played.
 

would go with Ross for BB placement. however, if you're an accomplished networker being in NYC might pay off for you, and in that case i would say stern. you need to realistically assess your own skill at networking and whether you would actually take advantage of the opportunities of being in NYC

 
Best Response

Rerum voluptatibus repudiandae culpa fugiat fuga et assumenda eaque. Cumque deleniti et assumenda natus et. Veritatis et magnam in temporibus totam quas.

Animi excepturi modi nesciunt iusto vitae voluptates nobis et. Iusto eligendi minus et eum. Enim dolore quae quasi saepe deleniti. Nihil necessitatibus dolor quisquam et. Culpa suscipit inventore laborum explicabo vitae officia.

In sunt sunt molestias officia assumenda. Ut accusamus sunt consectetur ab quibusdam quia cupiditate. Sed reiciendis rerum iusto quam nesciunt a iste. Iste ab id et fuga fugit aut minus. Consectetur voluptatem cumque et et non dolorem rem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 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

October 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

October 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

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”