M/B/B LA vs NYC offices

Q: Are LA offices less competitive than for instance, the NY office? Or even the SF office?

A: Yes definitely less competitive than the NY office (which is the most highly desired in the US)

Q: Are they going to be more inclined to pick candidates that are from west-coast schools like UC's? Especially because I'm not seeing a lot of alum from my school in the LA office, at least on LinkedIn.

A: Yes. This is because they recognize that those on the west-coast better understand the region (culture, business, etc.) and are more likely to do well. There is of course also the network/recruiting/alumni effect.

Q: Any insight into the LA offices would be appreciated!

A: Biggest difference across offices will always be industry/function-based. So, you are going to have a lot more in work in the TMT (Technology, Media, Entertainment). Being close to SF you will also have a good amount of VC-based work as well

Hi,

The LA office gets a lot fewer applicants than NYC but also has fewer spots. The odds are slightly better however. Before applying to LA few things to keep in mind

• Almost all your school friends will be in NYC or the Bay Area, its going to be a completely new social experience which is why not many east coasters end up in LA In the early part of their career (also NYC is a hard city to beat!)
• Industry focus changes quite a bit - LA has entetainment, some Healthcare, some finance etc. NYC is huge for finance, healthcare, pharma and a bunch of other industries
• LA office has a recruiting pipeline with the UCs and also with Stanford etc. that however isn't a big problem if you go to a target school in the east coast
• I would highly recommend setting up a session with an alum from your school in the LA offices (even an MBA alum will usually respond to requests if they went to your school)

All the best,

Udayan

1. Yes
2. No, I think it's a matter of number of applicants from there

Best,
Antonello