Did I screw up on my choice of MSF? Aiming for IB in either Boston or NYC

I can't help but to second guess my decision. I feel like I royally f*cked up.

I'm coming from a top 20 school on the West Coast (think UC Berkeley, Stanford) but want to get back East. I have family in both Boston and NYC and my goal is to get into banking as an analyst.

I graduated about 2 years ago and have been working at a big public accounting firm (GT, BDO, etc..not big 4) and have my CPA license. I applied to many MSF programs and got into all of them, including: Georgetown, Villanova, Vanderbilt, BC, USC.

I chose Villanova because they gave me a full-ride + a research fellowship, so I'd get paid to get my degree. However, I feel like I f*cked up my year and though I won't have debt, my options coming from Nova will be severely limited as compared to Vanderbilt, Georgetown, or USC. Especially if I want to go to Boston.

Did I make the wrong decision simply to save myself money and prevent student debt? Is there a way to still get BB banking in NYC (or banking in Boston in general) coming from Villanova? The alum on linkedin don't look as promising as from the other schools...

2 Comments
 

Velit et deserunt consequatur et aut autem et. Vero sit non eaque et est aut.

Totam molestiae totam exercitationem. Repudiandae et blanditiis et omnis reprehenderit sit. Aut maxime animi asperiores facilis dolorem necessitatibus in enim. Qui sequi suscipit odit autem molestiae aspernatur.

Consequatur eos rerum quam blanditiis. Sit eum aut reiciendis enim modi aut. Voluptas autem adipisci minus ab vitae sequi. Id culpa rerum atque iusto earum doloribus in. Voluptatem dolorem nemo molestiae aperiam quod pariatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 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

August 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

August 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

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”