Citi or CS?

Depends on the group and your personal preference. Ultimately, you’ll do best and exit better in the group you enjoy most. Generally, it’s not a good idea to base your decision off which bank some bum on WSO thinks is more “prestigious.” Citi and CS are both great banks.

Citi has paid really well recently from what I’ve gathered

Citi is better, CS has better exits

Citi

CS has better exits and is more highly regarded on the buyside. Also, given the history at CS, their alum base is stronger. Both are great shops though and are very comparable.

get an offer first

CS places very well in PE, Citi for a long term banking career

Take Citi if you want people to think you’re a bank teller. Take CS if you want people to think you work for craigslist.

There's top groups for both, and shitty groups for both. The top ones are comparable in terms of exits, and the shitty ones are equally shitty in terms of exits. Think about what group you would have the strongest connection to, whether it's an interviewer you had or alumni. But if you really had 0 clue whatsoever, greatest expected value would probably be Citi. CS has been on the downturn for a while now, and the European banks (except BarCap maybe) have been especially hit hard with the repercussions of the pandemic.

I’d generally say that CS, as a result of First Boston / DLJ and its strong performance in the early 2010s, has stronger buyside recruiting and exit ops. Keep in mind too that the vast majority of dealflow at CS is related to sponsor work, which makes analyst work more relevant to PE and PE recruiting. The strongest groups at CS are generally (in order): FSG, M&A, TMT, Industrials, then the rest. At Citi, it is M&A, Media and Comms, Real Estate, Industrials, then the rest. I’d say exits are comparable among the top groups (FSG at CS and M&A at Citi) and the weaker groups are similar. I’d say the average analyst from the “upper-middle” tier of groups at CS would do better than equivalent groups at Citi

Both are good institutes which can give you solid experience and exposure, so no if downside there I general terms. Try to get additional specifics to further refine your decision (team, references, group, location, etc.). Good luck, keep us posted!