With investment banking, you get that outcome outright, and you get promoted for it.” As an investment banking analyst, Mehta could be staffed on projects or “deals,” which can materialize into real-life company mergers or public offerings in as little as three months. ’24)—who requested anonymity, citing a strict workplace policy—works as an investment banking analyst at a bulge bracket bank. Investment banking is notorious for its demanding hours, with estimates ranging from 60–80 hours per week, even climbing to 100 during busy deal cycles. While the reality is hardly unknown to UChicago students, S. highlighted that the strain is not merely the length of the workday, but its unpredictability. According to popular finance forums like Wall Street Oasis, intelligence and work ethic are treated as “givens” for UChicago students.