Why are less people going to IB compared to Consulting after MBA?

I'm seeing the employment report from various schools and Consulting its the biggest recruiter follow by finance- IB. Is this because its easier to get into consulting-strategy vs finance? or is the bad rep of wlb and burn out?
 

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Consulting attracts a much larger umbrella of people from all different backgrounds while IB has a self-selection of people that want to be in finance. Best example is looking at vets, they recruit for consulting in droves but only a handful look at IB. There's this view that consulting is an amorphous field that anyone intelligent can succeed in, but IB is only for quantitative types. Plus, people from non-finance backgrounds just don't understand bonuses so they think comp is similar (seriously they only look at salaries). There's also a campus view that WLB is dramatically better in consulting. Lastly, most consulting kids have no idea what they really want to do and believe it is a better spot for exit opps whereas IB will restrict you to finance opps. It's just another way of keeping optionality open for them. Not saying any of this is definitely true one way or another, just perceptions you hear a lot. 

 

Eum ad qui sit rerum beatae. Quidem ex maiores consequatur. Sint sed adipisci commodi quis sit consequatur. At recusandae minima nemo temporibus tempore adipisci consequatur. In voluptas velit alias voluptas. Et libero inventore cum eos quis consequatur. Autem fuga illo tempora in quidem.

Magni animi beatae tenetur distinctio. Corporis voluptas illum distinctio debitis quisquam ut. Ut aut totam aspernatur vel fugiat expedita praesentium.

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 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 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 (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”