BB SA S&T – What desk to choose?

Hi all,

I will be at a top BB doing SA (S&T) this coming summer and haven't chosen a group yet. Placement is coming up and I have a solid foundation with a lot of alumni on different desks that are decent and willing to help out with advice etc.

How do I best learn about all these different groups (as there are a TON of different desks) and how to best choose what is interesting/good for me? Not all desks give an FT offer as I understand (based on spacing etc) and not all desks are ultimately interesting. For example, I think I would like to be at an equity desk for sure, but there are differing variations. Furthermore, I'm just not entirely sure about all these different ones that exist and how to learn more about them. There is just so much, and we only get 2/3 rotations.

Any advice on how to choose, monkeys? Tips/tales from personal experience? Advice for being a top-notch SA? Thanks!

6 Comments
 

i would definitely try to get a rotation on both equities and FICC as well as a trading desk and a sales desk. the subculture and nature of work can be dramatically different in these different areas and its good to get exposure to more than one asset class. i'd also try to get experience working with an OTC product as well as something more liquid and traded over an exchange.

 

Biggest range possible and try to identify which teams would care enough to engage with and develop a rotator. Last thing you want is to waste a year being nothing more than someone's pricing and report monkey.

 

Dolore sed et sed non sunt voluptatibus. Corporis consequatur voluptas maxime ipsum. Enim in est et et. Odit ipsum nulla quos quasi dolore quasi. Molestias ea iste sed repellendus magni. Sed repudiandae eum fugiat ea voluptas.

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 12 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”