Stay for recruiting or study abroad in junior spring?

IB will always be there. Seeing the world while you're still young will not.

I will not get into the subject of Spanish women.

That's a forum of it's own. Enjoy.

You can get something set up before you leave if you get on your shit now. I know plenty of people who have done this.

Agree with the above -- get your act together and start reaching out. Perhaps speak to seniors who were in the same position the prior year. No matter what, do NOT cancel your trip to Barcelona to go through recruiting.

One of the other SA's at my internship was abroad during the same period but that didn't effect him. He just got his act together in the fall.

I was in the same position as you when I was a junior....I didn't set anything up and therefore missed out on SA recruiting, but I busted my ass off for FT when senior year started and it all worked out in the end. As everyone is saying above DO NOTTTTT miss out on studying abroad, it was the best time of my life and I wouldn't give it up for a SA gig at any bank.

Check out the club "carpe diem", close to the Hotel Arts (ritz carlton owned I think)... last time I was there that place was THE SPOT

thanks everyone for your responses. I'll definitely start reaching out to people now so that hopefully by the time spring rolls around ill be relaxing on a beach in Barcelona without any worries.

There are accelerated recruiting deadlines at GS, MS, JPM, CS, BofAML, Barcap, and UBS (i applied to all of these last year). IN some cases, I'm convinced it was easier to land a summer offer than going through the entire process with the rest of your school. Network early if you are from non-target. If you are from target, go to BB recruiting events and connect with the HR.

Anyway, as everyone else says... going to a foreign country and having no burdens when you are a junior in college is absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity. IB will always, always be there. Go study abroad and enjoy.

I want to disagree with the general trend here... it depends how dedicated you are to getting into IB. I would definitely set yourself up to go on the program to Barcelona, and then start networking hardcore in the fall. If 3 weeks before you leave you don't have anything, reassess then.

I wanted to thank everyone again for your advice. I landed an SA position at one of the BB's IBD by going through a study abroad superday and have been having the time of my life in Spain!! Already travelled to Rome and Florence and I'm heading to Morocco on Thursday.

@International Pymp - Carpe Diem is one helluva time.

@Midas - I use your exact response when a sophomore at my school asked me the same question I posed on this thread. "IB will always be there. Seeing the world while you're young will not." Couldn't be more true.

Thanks again everyone!!!

Are you away fall or winter? Do you go to a target? I am not sure if you are referring to FT recruiting or Summer. I have assumed that you meant summer since it's uncommon to go abroad your senior year.

Most banks will conduct an early round in November / December for candidate going abroad in the winter term. Obviously limited to targets. So if that's your case, you should be fine. If you'll be back for the winter semester, just send you applications without mentioning anything. If you're gone for the whole year, I would talk to OCR and figure when most banks will conduct 1st round and super days and plan to be around. Many banks might offer to do first round on the phone if you mention that you're abroad, but I would try to do everything in person as it's so much harder to get a feel for a candidate over the phone.

Some banks offer study abroad processes, I know GS does for sure and I think MS. In those processes you'd apply in mid-Novemeber and interview in December. Best thing to do, if you are at a target e-mail your school recruiter telling them you're studying abroad but really interested would love to apply early to allow for that

definitely better first semester i don't know prague's schedule, but i know many study abroad/foreign spring semesters do not end until late june-- way past the starting date of many summer programs although you may still be accepted to a program, you would have to start later than the rest of your summer analyst class, which is a disadvantage.

If you have contacts at banks you can get accelerated interview processes and/or have them fly you back for interviews.

q

thanks guys...so basically the interviews are second semester so I might as well just study abroad first semester?

I'm currently studying abroad at LSE. Although the exam schedule hasn't been released yet for this summer, my friend studied at LSE last year and her finals all ended by mid June. LSE is very strict about not missing exams. This same friend had a summer IB internship in New York that started in early June. As a result, she had to attend the training week (first week), then fly back to London and finish her exams. Most banks will understand your situation, however, so it's all good, just not the most convenient situation to be in.

You bring up a good point, namely that regardless of where you intern, you're going to be missing school. Although it's more hectic, I would rather miss the days before my finals than start senior year two weeks late.

As far as interviewing goes, if you're going to apply to London, apply early since a lot of the applications are rolling. Most of my friends who are currently interviewing with New York banks have first round phone interviews. Then they will fly out to New York for a final round interview if they advance. Some people regard flying to New York as hectic while others think of it is as a somewhat exciting chance to leave London for a weekend and visit New York. I've also heard of some places conducting video interviews for abroad applicants, though this is probably less common.

The short story is to apply to New York BB's accelerated interview programs. Basically you apply in November and if you make final rounds, you fly to New York to interview in December when LSE has its break anyway.

LSE's study abroad program is a great experience and I would highly recommend it. It just helps to be aware of the complications that come with attending a year-long study abroad program and to plan accordingly, that's all.

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Banks have accelerated processes for candidates studying abroad in the spring.

if you have an internship lined up after junior summer you could get an offer right after

I do have an internship with a smaller company, but doubt it will amount to a full time offer.

I would venture a guess that it would be fine.

I studied abroad in London spring junior year, but one of my roommates was in his last semester. He actually got flown back from London to Nashville for Wells Fargo interviews; so I would imagine that if a large scale wall street firm wanted you they'd fly you back as well.

I have a summer internship lined up, and I will be going to Europe for the fall semester. I have been trying to do a study abroad for three semesters now but I have always pushed it back to participate in recruiting. While I consider finding a job the most importing thing for me to focus on right now, I only have two semesters left to go abroad.

Just go. You might never get the opportunity to go again, and I would imagine you will want to be on campus with your friends the last semester of college. I know that competition is beyond stiff in finance right now...but at some point you have to throw your hands up, say "I'm only 21", and go get wasted with the Europeans.

companies wont do skype interview unless u are personally affiliated with the managers or CEO.. for real..

Studying abroad junior year is recruiting suicide. Why would they take you via a skype interview when they have 1000 candidates they can actually meet in person. You are better off staying at school your junior year, getting an internship from a firm you really like, accepting the return offer over the summer, and studying abroad your senior fall or spring.

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Sorry I wasn't clear: I mean I will be a senior this fall. I already spent my summer in banking, but I am looking for other jobs outside of banking. Need less hours, more work/life balance. I would be happier with less pay.

1. there are other threads, do a search
2. in general, I say go abroad, once in a lifetime experience
3. most big firms are accommodating, smaller ones without firm recruitment practices can be a hassle

why are you doing consulting in the first place

gsduke, if you're just going to show up and bash consultants in every thread here, just don't write anything - this is the consulting sub-forum, and that's what we discuss. Didn't your parents tell you what to do if you don't have anything nice to say? Believe it or not, yes, some people want to do consulting. Deal with it.

Anyway, it sounds like the OP is already abroad or going abroad very soon. MBB will usually let you do your interview over the phone, but for the final round they'll usually want to get you there in person. In general, they'll try to accommodate you; they value the study-abroad experience.

Baronec:

I am a Sophomore in College, and I am considering studying abroad my Spring semester of Junior year, which is one year from now.

Only thing is.. Spring is interview season, and over winterbreak while I am a Junior, I am going to be aggressively applying to internships and networking my balls off to secure something great for my last summer. If I study abroad, I will be out of the US when companies will be conducting interviews.

I know a ton of people study abroad, so I was wondering if anyone has had an issue with this, or do companies make exceptions and do Skype interviews or phone interviews etc.. Should I not even waste my time going abroad and just stay in the US?

P.S. I go to a non-target University, so I am already at a disadvantage than most applicants. Will being abroad when interviews are taking place emphasize a negative outlook on my consideration? Share your thoughts and past experiences.

If you really want to go abroad, do it early enough that it doesn't negatively impact recruiting or do it after recruiting. Going junior fall means you can still network (emails, phone) as well as you could anyway at your non-target, you wouldn't be missing campus presentations.

Are you sure about the finals being in late June, have you checked for your specific modules. Most of the UG ones, especially year 2, tend to be in May. Could you not just pick modules that they tend to examine early?

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/registrationTimetablesAssessmen…

I think they are both good choices. LSE is slightly better known than UCL, but they both have strong reputations so it doesn't really matter.

Personally, I would go for LSE just because you will get to experience a full year abroad, which will be a great 'life' experience! Although you might have to call or email several months in advance (I would start networking this summer), I believe that you might be able to pursue both NYC and London internships even if you spend the full year in London.

I landed a SA at a top BB even though I was off campus. It required a little bit of networking, but basically I had a phone interview and then they flew me to NYC for the final round. So don't give up a great year just because you think you need to be at on-campus recruiting in the US!

Finals start in mid may and go to late june, but the problem is that they don't release the schedule until the winter. So for now I have no way of picking classes that have early finals, especially since the schedule changes completely each year. Since i'm taking four courses its seems like there is a very good chance that at least one would be scheduled for june.

They won't give you specific exam dates, but you can bank on your last exam being no later than June 10, the 15th at the latest. You want to check out whether you can use OCR at your school now while you're abroad, because otherwise you'll be forced to only use LSE OCR which will have a strong focus to positions outside of the US, specifically London. I have friends who used their home school's OCR and did the Skype interviews or were flown in. I also have friends who were barred from using OCR unless they could make interviews on campus itself. Out of those, most if not all of them were able to use the LSE OCR to get the internships they wanted, albeit usually in London rather than NY.

The General Course is an awesome program and I would highly recommend doing the year abroad, given that you understand the risks with OCR and you'll accept them.

I'm currently studying abroad at LSE and from my experience being here, I'd say if you are doing social sciences, especially Econ., then LSE is a much better option than UCL. In this year's league table it was ranked 2nd best university in the UK, behind Cambridge and ahead of Imperial, Oxford, etc.

As far as internships go, I really don't have a preference between London and New York, at least based on other people's accounts. And if you are lucky, your last exam will be in May, like mine, even though my internship in the City doesn't start until late June. I should also add that many other General Course students who are spending a year abroad at LSE also have internships in the States, so yes you can do it too.

However if you decide to intern in London, mind you it is more competitive to get an internship here, at least based on my own experience. Among other things, you'll be competing with kids from LSE, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick and other top schools from all over Europe. And you'll also have to take at least 2 numerical tests. That said, it's very possible to get an internship here as many other students from the States have in the past.

Good luck with your decision!

So, if I were to decide I wanted to pursue an internship in the US, but I had a final scheduled for early to mid june, what would happen...? Anyone know?

Thanks.

Do option 2, and go abroad again senior spring if that's an option. This way you have more time to travel through the summer.

What do Stanford kids do? They do not finish until early June if I recall properly.

Hey guys, another option: I could do the first semester at UCL and the second semester at the University of Hong Kong. Its either that or a year at the LSE. Thoughts?

You gotta make up your mind what you want. I don't think that it will be a problem at all to get an itnernship if banks are really interested in you. You can always go through first rounds etc. on the phone or go through their London office.

However, just my two cents: What the hell are you even thinking about? You're willing to give up living in one of the greatest cities in the world, because you are scared that you might possibly miss out on an internship? Come on man

Well the dilemma now is between London for a year or London for a semester and Hong Kong for a semester. So either way I'll be living someplace great for a year.

LSE > UCL+HK

Well the upside to the UCL+HK is that HK ends at the end of May, whereas the LSE will probably end mid june, so I would completely void any scheduling conflicts as far as internships are concerned.

One internship abroad and 3 semesters abroad. It delayed graduating by one year, but definitely one of the best decisions of my life!

Another plus to studying abroad is it provides a great topic of conversation for interviews.

Would there be no hope for someone once they started working? Besides getting moved to an international office, are there any well-known companies/programs that do international rotations?

I just can't afford it

I studied abroad in two different countries and interned abroad in a third country. I still graduated in four years with a degree in finance and economics. However, I had to cram many of the classes in college and had to balance a lot of things so I wasn't able to keep my gpa up as much as I wanted to. That and my university doesn't count study abroad grades for gpa.

In any case it was really worth it cause I was also able to do it completely on the university's money. My scholarships exceeded the cost of studying abroad so I ended up even having some extra spending money directly from the university!

+1, SB.

I've done a full semester overseas. Though all classes were in English, the native language was not English, I was in an environment far removed from home, and used the opportunity to visit some of the more exotic locations of the world before I came back.

A couple of tips for those wanting to go on a semester exchange/year long exchange:

• keep your GPA sky high if you want first choice of destinations.

• take an extra course in the semester(s) leading up to it, allowing you to do a reduced work load or non-relevant "interest" courses overseas

• any destination is better than no destination. Don't turn down an opportunity in rural Germany just because you'd prefer Paris. I've seen students do this - they have a preferred destination and aren't willing to compromise. Guess who was jealous that I went and they did not? Take what you can get.

• send postcards back home to family rather than just emails. A postcard is more meaningful than an email, and your family will be grateful.

• For the second time, keep your GPA sky high if you want the best opportunities.

I did a semester in the US (Chapel Hill). It was in a foreign language and I learned a lot about the culture ;)

Regarding not being able to afford it.

I did a semester in Bangkok and could be done for much less than a semester at home if you don't count the excessive travel I did while I was there.

Flight - $800

1-Bedroom Apartment - $200 / month

Food - $300 / month ***Very conservative can get a meal for $1

Textbooks - $1 / Month *** Photocopied one due to slack copyright

Transportation - $100 / Month *** Taxi's are cheap (~$3 for 20min ride)

Booze - $100 / Month *** Bottle of Liquor is $5 & Beers are $1.50

Just showing that there are ways to experience studying abroad if working with a limited budget.