WSO Weekly Wrap-up

May 16, 2026

Hey WSO Monkey,

Feeling cooked before bonus season even gets here? This week we’re talking top schools by IB analyst headcount, how to survive analyst years without spiraling, and whether exiting IB/PE actually improves your wellbeing. Take five and catch up.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Top 30 Schools by IB Analyst Headcount - "Ran an analysis on top 30 undergraduate institutions by # of current IB analysts across EB, EB, and MM banks. Definitely a few surprises in there - didn't expect Vandy to be so high, for example. Data pulled from 4,000 analyst profiles from LinkedIn, normalized for school, bank, title, and role."

  2. A Graduating Senior’s WSO Reflection - "As silly as this may sound, I wanted to write a thank you to WSO for all its done for me over the years, and a reflection of my journey. I joined this website at 17 years old back in 2021 - just months before college applications were about to begin. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life, so I was thinking about starting an engineering degree and narrowing on a specific area of engineering during my first year of college. However, in the summer leading up to my senior year, I stumbled across WSO (by complete accident actually, I wanted to see how much one of my relatives made as a VP for a retail bank branch and found a WSO link)..."

  3. Polygraph by Polymarket - "News with skin in the game from the world’s largest prediction market. Each morning, get an email breaking down everything happening on Polymarket: the biggest shifts in odds, breaking news, new markets, whale moves, and much more. Join 1,428,136 readers who get their news on Polymarket."

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. How to Deal With Analyst Years Sustainably? - "Block out a half / preferably full day on the weekend where you do your absolute best to unplug. I remember during my A1 days I had a stretch of working nonstop for 17 straight days. I worked multiple 100 hour weeks in a row. I was on the edge of breaking down, because in reality no one can take that. The work will not go anywhere, carve out time for yourself. If you take 20 minutes to respond it’s okay..."

  2. Q&A: Building a Global Career Across Sectors - "My career has been fairly non-linear and has taken me across the public, private, multilateral, and non-profit sectors, with work spanning global operations, strategy, international development, and health systems across different parts of the world. I’ve had the opportunity to work across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and North America, and one thing I’ve learned is that careers are often much less linear than they appear from the outside..."

  3. Has Exiting IB/PE Really Improved Your Wellbeing? - "Background: 5 years experience across IBD (BB), PE and private credit (brand name shops). My buy-side moves were driven largely driven by hopes of better WLB (naive in hindsight), which did not materialize in either role. Since IB I have persistent anxiety around work, which I think is due to a combination of the long hours and a “fear” of new deals hitting my desk (I think having to sift through bucketloads of data in short timeframes gives me anxiety). Coming to the conclusion that “high finance” is probably not for me and may look to pivot to a corporate role (corp dev, strategy), but my fear is I will make that switch and find that I am ultimately not happier (worse comp, brand name, etc). For those who made the switch and left IB/PE or similar roles: was it worth it and why, and what role did you go from and to?"

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • From Pre-Med in Vietnam to Wall Street: How This Non-Target Student Broke Into IB

  • Before You Choose a Finance Career, Watch This

  • How I Broke Into GOLDMAN SACHS | Non-Target School

Hot Jobs 💼

2027 Hedge Fund Analyst (Full-Time) with a 2026 Summer Internship - "Your primary responsibility will be to research and analyze US public companies to help make investment decisions. We're looking for someone with a great deal of raw talent and intellectual curiosity, and a desire to learn what makes some companies great..."

Investment Associate, Partnership Fund for New York City - "The Partnership Fund for New York City (PFNYC) is hiring an Investment Associate with ~2 years of investment banking or equivalent financial experience who is looking to pivot into impact investing while continuing to do rigorous, institutional‑quality analysis..."

Associate Turnaround and Restructuring - "In this role, you will collaborate closely with professionals at all levels and across a wide range of industries. You will play an active role in diagnosing business challenges, conducting rigorous financial and operational analysis, building financial models, and delivering insights that support strategic decision-making..."

Senior Analyst, Private Equity Operations - "The Senior Analyst, Private Equity Operations leads the operational management of private deals, from approval and settlement through ongoing lifecycle events such as IPOs, restrictions, corporate actions, and liquidity events..."

Investment Banking Vice President - "This involves reviewing AI outputs for correctness, methodological rigour, and commercial relevance—then building evaluation criteria and model answers that reflect how things are actually done at top-tier banks…"

Private Equity Expert - "Mercor is recruiting U.S./UK/Canada/Europe/Australia-based Private Equity Experts for a research project with a leading foundational model AI lab."

Financial Modeling Expert - "In this highly visible role, you will deploy your deep expertise in financial modeling, valuation, and deal structuring to support major investment decisions across diverse sectors..."

WSO Mentor - "Are you an experienced professional with a background in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, S&T, venture capital, asset management, equity research, quant finance, corporate dev, real estate finance, or top-tier consulting? Passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders? Wall Street Oasis (WSO) is expanding its Mentorship Program, and we're looking for outstanding professionals to join our mentor roster—an elite network supporting students and young professionals as they prepare for high-stakes careers. Whether you’re looking to give back, stay connected to rising talent, or sharpen your coaching skills, this role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact, remotely and on your schedule..."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




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