Plan B? Plan C? How do I max my odds of breaking into IB now?

Hi everyone, 

I'm a senior at a large state school (biz school). Over the summer I worked at a top 10 asset manager (AUM wise) but due to firm wide reasons the interns were not given a return offer. I always wanted to do banking but at this AM I interned in their PE team so I did not complain. Come senior year, I was fortunate enough to get interviewed for FT roles at Citi, BlackRock, EY, boutique REPE firms in Chicago, boutique banks in Chicago, SF & NY but do to various reasons (my shitty interviewing, my visa being far from ideal were the primary ones tbh) I did not get a job by the end of fall. This sucks because I was able to get interviewed at so many shops but the second they'd see my visa lets me work in the US only for one year, I'd be out of the process immediately. I'd also say my interviewing was not great and this also led to my GPA dropping my first sem senior year to a 3.3. I lost complete hope on any decent finance role and this last semester just focused on my GPA which kinda paid off because even though I'm doing 20 credits, my sem GPA is at 4.0 currently and I can pump my major GPA to around a 3.7/3.6. 

Come second sem senior year, I worry I will not get a job and apply to my school's MSF program which is fairly new and relies heavily on the my school's strong undergraduate finance program and a certain pipeline that sends kids very well to the top banks (this is in both the undergraduate and MBA program). The MSF program is new although the professors that run those pipelines / clubs teach in the MSF program and alumni are usually very very helpful. The MSF program is also useful because I'm an intl student and this will give me the STEM extension letting me be employed in the US for 3 years. 

Now, the goal is to do IB in New York / the east coast and I'm wondering if I should make the MSF program 1.5 years with the goal of recruiting for SA24 spots (& hopefully convert that to a FT offer). Hopefully by then (Dec 24) the economy will improve as well? Or should I stick to the 1 year MSF and hit FT recruiting directly May 2024? Will the economy / dealflow improve by then? I'm getting a decent scholarship and a graduate / teaching assistantship role so its not too bad. The MSF program will also let me join new investment funds, clubs, TTS seminars etc etc but more importantly a chance improve my GPA which is why I feel making it 1.5 years makes sense but I want to maximize my chances of breaking into IB so I'm open to anything. 

Thank you so much and would appreciate any advice!!

Best, 

A Lost senior

 

Et et consequatur ut ab in quos ut odio. Perferendis quasi laborum porro non reprehenderit. Qui ipsum consequatur ipsa fugit sed est officia. Eum repudiandae est sed autem mollitia et ut sed. Quis sint assumenda nostrum doloremque vero optio ipsa.

Suscipit dolores autem dolores adipisci dolor ea. Architecto debitis commodi eveniet est incidunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”