Undecided - 03-18-2025 | Clear Admit DecisionWire

<< Back to DecisionWire

March 18, 2025 5:07am ET

Enrolled: Undecided

Admitted: Michigan / Ross , UVA / Darden

Applied: Michigan / Ross, UVA / Darden

Entering Year: 2025

Post MBA Career: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo Securities

Notes:

Uncertain about which school is better for NYC Investment banking / known for getting students into those roles. Ross placement report shows about 11% to IB, and Darden shows something like 25% to financial services (unclear how much to IB).

Like (1)

Show Comments (2) Last: March 19, 2025

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1736 I would assume IB at Darden is a well worn pathway. Both programs should provide decent options for investment banking. Might be worth looking at how active the NYC alumni networks are at both programs? (0)

eliot Verified User. Likes Earned: 1937 Congrats on your acceptances to both Ross and Darden. Both are great schools that can help you land a IB job in NYC. Having said this, Darden likely has a slight edge for NYC IB career placement.

Here are some data points from the 2024 career reports. Among Class of 2024 graduates seeking employment and accepting jobs. Ross: 17.6% (48) Ross grads accepted finance industry jobs. Of this total 10.3% (28) grads accepted Investment Banking jobs. Darden: 26.5% (78) grads accepted finance industry jobs. While Darden does not provide a breakdown for IB jobs specifically, I suspect that Darden sends about 35-45 grads into IB jobs. So, while Darden likely has a slight edge in IB job placement, both Ross and Darden would provide you with opportunities to pursue a IB career.

Relatedly, 24.7% (68) Ross grads and 28.6% (84) Darden grads accepted jobs located in the US Northeast. Meaning, while Darden has an edge, both schools send a sizable number of graduates to jobs in the Northeast (including NYC).

In summary, both Ross and Darden are very good MBA programs with a solid track record of finance/IB placement in the US Northeast. Given that, you could make your decision based on your personal fit and geographical preferences. As part of your due diligence, I encourage you to speak with current students of both programs who are exploring IB careers.

(0)