EB post-MBA recruiting w/o pre-MBA experience

I'm under the impression from reading various threads on this site that if you're qualified enough to be at a top MBA program and have a reasonable level of aptitude, then you can expect to land at least one BB associate offer. Assuming you're the type of person that falls into this category, is it much harder to land an EB offer all things being equal?

For context, I was engineering undergrad and am going crazy rotting away in B4 technology consulting. I'm matriculating to NYU Stern and am very interested in the EB model. To me it would make sense that EB's would put more emphasis on pre-MBA experience than BB's, but I'm hoping I'm wrong about that. Looks like Stern placed candidates at tons of EB's but wondering whether that is typically saved for those with pre-MBA banking or finance experience.

29 Comments
 

Going from CBS to EB this year, so similar situation. Similar background to yours as well.

The actual truth is that there are very few people with pre-mba finance experience who actually recruit for IB. If you want to stay in IB, generally you just skip the MBA.

The biggest thing for EBs is that you get their model and want to be at an EB. They will ask multiple times "where else are you recruiting", and if you are late in the coffee-chat process and still saying to Guggenheim that you are recruiting at JPM and GS, it is going to set off some flags.

Array
 

that’s fair, obviously there are people who are top candidates for various reasons and the firms overlook it(an offer from JPM and EVR sounds like your buddy was the real deal). in my experience, just in general, being able to articulate an BB v EB preference is a data point banks use.

Array
 

Congrats that's exciting. What was your reasoning about desiring the EB model? From what I gather it sounds like a much more diverse experience (industry coverage sounds dreadful) and I've heard that EBs are also more cash focused in late career compensation and focus less of deferred comp, although I obviously wouldn’t mention that in an interview. Bigger reason of the two is wanting diverse work experience.

 
Most Helpful

My personal view (others may disagree) was that going to an EB would be better if I want to be a banker long-term, which is my goal. The firm I am headed to really seems to have an amazing culture which prioritizes hiring the right people and keeping them. Most EBs also have the counter-cyclical Rx practice, which provides deal flow when times get tough. For me, this showed additional job security, along with an extremely smart team that was (as far as I could see) light on facetime culture.

All of that is in addition to the great deal flow that the EBs all have (hopefully it will continue) and the chance to really dig into non-bread and butter M&A. It sounds kind of lame, but I really do enjoy finance, and I talked about how I wanted to work on things like RMT transactions and hostile deals involving PR issues, political votes, legal issues, etc etc.

Edit to say - Oh and the pay (while again, this may change this year) - 200k was standard A1 bonus this past year according to classmates currently at EBs.

Array
 

I wouldn't say that being transparent on recruiting at other firms is a red flag. Most of my peers and myself have revealed that openly, and it seemed to be the BBs that care even more about asking "where else are you recruiting" question. GS, JPM, MS, and BoA in particular asked multiples times all the way through the Superdays. Evercore and PJT seemed more confident of converting their offers. The actual conversion ratios for Evercore and PJT were 100% for my program (M5 MBA Program) while much lower for GS, JPM, MS, and BoA (and like 0% for other banks).

 

Likeability is the more important element in the recruitment process. That'll get you to interviews - then the technical kick in.The counts are inaccurate however- currently a first year at Stern, and we are sending 6 to Evercore (7 total offers IIRC)

 

Thank you for your inputs. Does the above apply to internationals too? Or are the expectations from them higher since they'll need sponsorship etc. Anecdotally, all the people I see getting into EVR/MoCo have IB/Transaction Advisory background. Is there any sound reason behind this? Would love to hear your inputs. TIA

 

How big are high-level connections at EB? I'm assuming MDs and other seniors are vital just given the headcount and amount of open spots or lack of along with the type of culture they look to cultivate. Kind of a dumb question I know, but I would have to imagine they are more impactful than BB. Also, to those who have interviewed at EB, are the technicals as intense as people make them out to be? Guess it's a personal opinion, but I've heard mixed things from current EB associates. I'm trying to prepare myself, but I don't think that the 400 questions are going to cut it.

 

Ut id deserunt voluptas velit ipsa nemo. Qui enim nesciunt magni totam est. Eos sapiente ut deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.6%
  • 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 97.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.6%
  • 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 (70) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”