Some advice please
My questions are:
I may have an opportunity at a well known private wealth management firm soon as a Private Client Associate. Would this position degrade my resume for getting into ibanking after an MBA? Would it help? Should I try for a different position in a commercial bank (non-ibanking; something like credit analyst, etc.)? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
I would like to apply and get accepted into the best graduate school possible in 12 months. What kinds of activities would look good on a resume and grad school application that would help makeup for relatively poor grades? I realize I need to get a very strong GMAT score, and I need some extracirricular's. I'm just looking for some ideas.
If I goto a graduate school that is not the top 20, will I still be able to get into a BB firm at the associate level if I graduated top in my class? Given my grades, I don't think NYU is Chicago is going to be likely without a minor miracle, but I may get into a school like Case Western Reserve (top 50 program, but not part of the elite top 10-20).
Any thoughts on the above or any relevant info would be greatly appreciated. I have decided that I am VERY committed to working in M&A at an Ibank or Private Equity firm, but I realize that I have quite a steep hill to climb. I plan on completing my CFA and getting the best MBA I can, but I am a little fuzzy as to the path I should be taking right now. Please, experienced replies only; I am not looking for undergrad students opinions.
Thanks.
I'm only an analyst, but at my firm the associate recruiting is even more rigorous and selective than that of the analysts.
How much do you enjoy the materials in the CFA? If you do, I'd suggest you broaden your search and look into the likes of sellside/buyside research that focus on the manufacturing sector, and eventually make the jump in to investment management which is what the CFA program teaches you to do. The CFA doesn't carry that much value in banking/PE due to the differences in the nature of the work (modeling skills to facilitate transactions vs. managing portfolios).
My interests really aren't in portfolio management or long term equity research. I would love to start my career in either to get some experience and broaden my horizon, but I am very set on M&A after my MBA. The primary reason I am going after my CFA exam is to buff my resume to make up for the shortcomings in my GPA and school choice. Though I am very glad I am finishing it; it has increased my knowledge of finance 10 fold.
bump
The thing about finding an MBA school is looking at placement. Where do the alums go? Who does the school have a relationship with? I don't know much about Case Western, but if they have a good record of placing people in jobs that you would want, then it might be worth a shot. If not, you'd have a really tough time even with the highest of MBA GPAs. Try scouring the list of schools some more to see.
It sounds like you're in a rush to get into school, but sometimes, the longer your work, the less your GPA is emphasized by the Adcom of the school. However, the less you work, the more they place on it as well. Average work experience at most schools is in the ballpark of 5-6 years.
As for the jobs, I can't really say. A VP in my group placed a slight more premium on previous experience in accounting or in corporate/company finance before stuff like private wealth management or commercial banking. I'm not sure if that's just him or if that's the norm aroun the street. But when it comes to interviewing for jobs and for b-schools (and also b-school essays), you want to be able to weave a good story for them to hear/read. So go off your manufacturing experience and find something that would complement that before you go back to school.
Just my two cents.
Good advice, I appreciate it.
I'd like to know if anyone else has any opinions on private wealth management and how it will impact acceptance into gradschool and acceptance into an Ibank/private equity later on.
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