Do Investment Banks care what an Ivy League alum majored in while in undergrad?

Non-Wharton Penn. Poli-Sci major, Economics minor. Recently graduated. No previous work experience in finance. I am not a grad student yet. I want to do an MBA. I have not taken GMAT yet. Any tips or suggestions?

8 Comments
 

IBs will all tell you they "accept a wide, diverse pool of analysts and associates" but that's simply bullshit. If you go to an Ivy and want to make it to IB, they expect to see Economics and most of the other will have Economics from an Ivy with 3.8 or higher and some relevant internship experience in the field. So having no work experience, and just doing an Econ minor you are at a disadvantage but it's not impossible. Every so often you'll find an English or History major as an analyst but those are usually connection or diversity hires. Best of luck.

 
Best Response

You need to be able to sell a convincing story. I disagree with the above poster about how you 100% need econ/finance whatever else. That being said, when you major in something like that, it's a lot easier to convince someone that you truly want to do IB as oppose to some gender studies major. Same with internships, if you have no relevant experience, how are you going to convince an interviewer that you want to work in this field? At a lower ranked school, you would need finance 100% because otherwise no one will take you seriously. But at an Ivy, the assumption is that everyone is smart, and lets not kid ourselves banking isn;t something that's hard to learn, so you don't have to prove anything on that end. Your story however is crucial.

 

Nobis consequatur magnam odit quis iusto. Repellendus a nesciunt quo autem esse voluptatem. Tempore magni error adipisci at non est saepe.

Voluptates quis non vero necessitatibus quam numquam repellendus. Alias magni accusamus error sed tempora delectus fuga minima. Et error enim animi quia sit. Ipsam ut aut fugit.

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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”