Match me. What schools should I apply for in the fall? What can I do to optimize my application? [PA resident, 3.82 UW, Finance]

[Catcherinthetoast]

This is the actual source I believe or a tremendous coincidence given identical rankings. @Publisher did your assistant have another source or was it a Google search that produced “college transitions”? I ask because I don’t want to misattribute if it’s another more reputable source.

We (meaning those who compete for IB undergraduates) typically rely on search firms and McLagan data provided by AON’s compensation consultancy. This costs money but is considered much more accurate than LinkedIn searches. I do not recommend relying on “college transitions” to make meaningful decisions.

Top Feeders to Wall Street and Investment Banking (Updated 2025)

I have previously posted about the flaws in the methodology. From that prior post about 2024 survey but the issues persist.

@Catcherinthetoast

Don’t want to get in the middle of this because I view the results as “representative” but not entirely factual or comprehensive.

A few quick points about the data used…,

“fifteen of the most reputable banking firms, including PJT Partners, Goldman Sachs, Citi, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Guggenheim Partners, Evercore, Greenhill & Co., Lazard, Moelis & Company, Centerview Partners, and Perella Weinberg”

• Credit Suisse no longer exists having been fully absorbed by UBS so those numbers are flawed.
• 8 of the I banks utilized don’t have material sales and trade businesses. Most aspiring undergraduate IBers haven’t distinguished between advisory type IB banking and financial markets so these conclusions are flawed for those uncertain about what client facing role they seek.
• Arguably only 1 international bank (Barclays although very American and populated by former Lehman) is included. Canadien, French, British, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese banks have very large US based franchises that likely represent a comparable number of IB opportunities in aggregate to the 15 listed.

While it is representative it is hardly entirely accurate.