Pre-experience or post-experience master program?
I am in my last year of bachelor studies at a leading European university. I am planning on taking a gap year afterwards and try to work and perhaps during that time send out applications to master programs. My ultimate goal has been to break into IB which I have not succeeded in so far.
Currently I am evaluating whether to
- work for a year, improve CV and try to apply for IB internship positions that take fresh bachelor graduates, do a master and then start FT the year after, if not getting an IB intern then try again during my master studies
or
- work in internship positions I get, hopefully long-term IB internships and with enough experience apply for post-experience master programs, such as the MSc in Finance at London Business School
Which one would be more useful in general? Doing a master ASAP or gaining a few years of full-time intern experience from long-term internships and then doing the post-experience master at a place like LBS? Of course I could eventually skip out on this option if I somehow managed to secure a good FT position from one of my internships.





I think you should get an
I think you should get an internship now then do a master. In case you can't get an internship then you can do the masters anyway, instead of just waiting for an internship to come. From what I saw most people who have been successful getting full-time positions have had several internships done while doing their studies. You could still have good luck and get an internship after the masters and a full-time position then, but if you can get an internship now I can't see why you wouldn't do it. It shows you are interested in a career and are serious about it.
Well if you break through,
Well if you break through, then working the job would seem to me to make more sense than studying. From what you have written here, studying seems to be your backup plan (and it is a good thing you have one). And I think your backup plan is a very good one.
Jon Frank
Founder, Admissionado
www.admissionado.com
http://admissionado.com/mba/free-consultation/