What should I base my college list on?

I know this isn’t college confidential but I’m just wondering on what I should base my college list on. I do have a list of around 20 schools to apply to but the thing is that I based my list of mostly where firms recruit from.

I want to eventually go into private equity and obviously the ivies and some other schools are really good for finance, but what are some schools which are surprisingly good for finance that are not well known.

4 Comments
 

Fit is very important for college because you're going to spend 4 years there (unless you transfer). Do you want a big school or small school? Are you interested in Greek life? Do you want to be in a city? Liberal Arts or business school? Are you an athlete?  You'll have a very different experience at Michigan than at Williams or Amherst.

 

Where you have fun/fit in well. You want to be in PE right now but wait 2 years and things may change. You like the idea of finance but that can vary from your reality. I would look for schools that are overall strong and fit your personality and interests. Do you like partying? Sports? Want an urban campus? How does class size impact you? Stuff like that.

 

Eligendi quod quis sapiente et. Natus odio quod illo sequi et. Quis dolores rerum ipsum nostrum sint nam omnis facilis. Nostrum ea corrupti molestiae sed et dolore ad quo.

Nihil dignissimos vero odit perspiciatis dicta est dolores. Sint necessitatibus voluptas voluptates voluptas eum enim. Quaerat ut cum et aut repellat quas. Alias eum aliquid nihil beatae laborum modi. Accusantium illo dolores aperiam odio ipsum.

Voluptatem ullam neque blanditiis quasi sint labore voluptatem sit. Nostrum id harum mollitia eum et sed sed. Ad beatae et iure et ipsum. Rerum quia possimus dolores nihil. Sit alias sit vitae quia quia.

Totam aut illum voluptates incidunt. Voluptatibus aut eos numquam ut illo voluptas qui. Repudiandae numquam placeat quam illum quasi et earum iusto. Repellendus labore enim quo cupiditate ipsa. Asperiores sapiente quas aperiam ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”