where to get MBA? who to shoot for?

So as I've elaborated on this forum, I'm a recent college grad, 3.5 GPA poli sci with minors in econ/spanish (at a school with the academic stature of places like Fairfield, Villanova, PSU, BU) who's about to begin a job at a prop trading firm in NYC (one with a capital contribution). If I do well, what kind of MBA programs am I looking at? Ideally I wanna make my way to the front office of BB or high level boutique IB or PE. If it doesn't materialize, I'd still be open to consulting.

What kind of gmat scores do I need to be competitive at good B-schools? By "good" b-schools I mean B-schools which do not have 5th year college students.

5 Comments
 

GMAT 700+, 2-3 yrs work exp, some extra curriculars, some community service, and a good story will get you to a top 20 school.

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

Aside from asking the general public here, I would also suggest seeking out people who started at a prop shop and are now in or have graduated from b school ask them about their experience ... the reason I say this is because I have heard some b schools are not in favor of prop shop experience, but that could just be hearsay and it would be better to talk to people who can give you advice not only about admissions but also with how they were viewed by potential employers during OCR

 
The Kid...I have heard some b schools are not in favor of prop shop experience, but that could just be hearsay and it would be better to talk to people who can give you advice not only about admissions but also with how they were viewed by potential employers during OCR
Do you have any posts or articles about this you can quote? Well it was that or PWM at a no-name, basically telemarketing.
 
Best Response
RodneyBro20
The Kid...I have heard some b schools are not in favor of prop shop experience, but that could just be hearsay and it would be better to talk to people who can give you advice not only about admissions but also with how they were viewed by potential employers during OCR
Do you have any posts or articles about this you can quote? Well it was that or PWM at a no-name, basically telemarketing.

Just skim through Poets and Quants and you'll get an impression that MBA programs aren't too big on prop trading (they don't understand it and can't teach it). Also, you have to put up money to join this firm? That's really shady, man. I'd take the PWM.

 

Et veritatis totam enim doloremque. Fugiat molestias qui quo ad dolorem atque. Reiciendis autem et suscipit et saepe. Quos ut deleniti asperiores sit ut.

Aut sint eaque rem voluptatem qui molestias atque iusto. Quos aut ea sed sit harum et voluptas. Quidem rerum fuga id voluptatem modi necessitatibus sapiente. Tempore doloribus voluptas aut. Reprehenderit nihil necessitatibus aliquam dolorum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”