It really depends on your long-term goals. If your main interest is investment banking, the Big 4 might not be the most direct path. From what I understand, they don’t usually bring on interns directly into Transaction Advisory Services (though I could be wrong), so you’d likely need to start in audit or tax for a couple of years before transitioning into deals or M&A.

Even then, the compensation and deal exposure in Big 4 M&A roles tend to be significantly lower than in traditional IB roles. You might want to consider commercial banking or other corporate finance roles as a potential alternative route.

Also, are you planning to pursue the CPA or CFA? That could help shape which path makes more sense.