What business schools to apply for to be an investment banking associate?

Looking to get my MBA to be an investment banking associate.

Should I just apply to the top 20 business schools?

Looking to eventually work on the west coast, preferably in southern California. (So would USC or UCLA be my best options? Or does location of the school not matter that much and would somewhere like Duke get me job opportunities on the west coast?)

I have an electrical engineering degree from UCSD. 3.01 major gpa and 3.44 overall gpa. 1 years work experience and I'm 26. - Thanks in advance.

8 Comments
 

Standard rule of thumb is to get into the best B-school you can (top 15-20) or a good regional recruiting target (USC qualifies, and is also a solid B-school) in the area you want to work. You're a little short on work exp, but some more WE + good GMAT + good story/recs, and you'll be competitive.

 

If I were you I'd definitely consider Berkeley, UCLA and USC. You'd might be able to get scholarships at USC & UCLA with a strong gmat score.

In Southern California there's definitely a lot of guys with Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA and USC degrees, but there is also a fair amount of guys with Penn, NYU, Michigan and Ivy League degrees. Personally, I'd go to the best MBA you can get into then network your tail off to get into the LA office. However, if it comes down to say UCLA vs. Duke; you may wanna go with UCLA for location. Although there are plenty of Duke grads in SoCal.

 

Haas and Anderson both have great placements in banking. You can't go wrong with either one for the west coast.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Ut consequatur ducimus quo distinctio similique. Ut et deleniti et ducimus aliquam. Omnis rerum vel odio vel enim. Magnam minus cumque error molestiae numquam quisquam dolor. Delectus est commodi praesentium commodi exercitationem exercitationem sed.

Amet et in quia dicta saepe consequatur doloremque. Et ipsum qui id. Ipsa sunt sit eaque et a labore. Recusandae id dolore praesentium vel sunt quae.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”