IU to Stanford?

Hi all, I am a student at Kelley business school at Indiana University. I am looking to pursue a career in investment banking and I know that Kelley is not a target school for most banks. However, I heard that a lot of Kelley grads get recruited by William and Blair which is in Chicago. How realistic would working for William and Blair for a couple years and then going to get my MBA at a bigger school such as Stanford, Harvard, or Columbia be? Assuming that I do well at Kelley right now.

27 Comments
 

Indiana University to B.B. or EB is simply impossible. Get to Stanford as fast as you can. Do whatever it takes

Fuckin my way thru nyc one chick at a time
 

2 Evercore FT placements last year, 7 Moelis NYC intern placements this year, with other kids in intern and FT roles at PWP, Lazard, Rothschild, Greenhill as well as all the BBs...

The IBW at IU places ~70 people a year at reputable MM/BB/EB banks every year. Get in the IBW and you have as good a shot as any other school for an IB gig

 

So if I understand your proposed path it's: state school, IB, prestegious B school... right? Yeah, that's completely possible. Happens all the time. But what do you want to do after B school? I feel like that's the missing part. There are a number of MD's at top IB's that went to IU and never went to grad school. Similarly, if you go to William Blair you may like the culture and not want to leave. BB IBs chew up top grads every year that go on to start their own breweries, strawberry farms, etc. or other EBITDA lacking endeavors. William Blair might actually offer you a career rather than a two year contract with the hope of being picked of by a top PE.

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vince Lombardi
 

Exercitationem qui nesciunt nesciunt non. Deleniti sit eum aut dolore et voluptatem aliquid repellendus. Quis assumenda ex et illum quis atque qui.

Occaecati soluta ea recusandae totam aliquid soluta nihil. Nihil adipisci amet et tempora.

Et assumenda necessitatibus quo illum. Error ab porro debitis veritatis voluptatem voluptate aut. Assumenda vel aut vero omnis aut. Reiciendis dolores explicabo qui beatae nam eos ab magnam. Tempore ratione vero quia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 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

November 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 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 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

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • 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

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...”