Delaying Graduation by a Quarter to Recruit for MBB

Hi everyone, I am/was a senior in undergrad at a semi-target on the West Coast. I originally recruited for full-time tech roles in fall 2022, but only ended up with a summer 2023 internship because of tight budgets and head counts. Since my internship is contingent upon me returning to school, I'll be graduating in December 2023, a quarter later than everyone else.

Since I'll be graduating later, I wanted to recruit for 2024 full-time MBB roles in fall 2023, but I was wondering if MBB looks down/will ding me for graduating a quarter later? I don't want to dive deep into case prepping and recruitment prep if MBB is going to throw my resume in the trash anyways.

Any help or insight is appreciated. Thanks everyone.

6 Comments
 

Also, does anyone have any insight on applying for an earlier deadline vs. a later deadline? Not sure how ready I'll be to apply by the earlier deadline.

 

I don't think MBB will look down on your resume because you graduate in December (that is very normal, actually), but it is still likely going to be hard to get in the door. The truth of the matter is that the business environment is slow and FT recruiting is going to reflect that. Firms such as EYP and ADL have already delayed start dates to early/mid-2024 for this year's incoming class which means that the need for new FT hires in this upcoming cycle will be low across the board.

 

Hi @esgwannabe, I appreciate your response. How much do you think the size of the incoming class will be reduced? It is even worth it to prep/apply for MBB? I was targeting application deadlines from July-September, since finals and the end of the quarter are taking up most of my time and I won't be ready to apply by June. If the bar to get into MBB is too high/headcount is too small, then I might focus my efforts on recruiting for another industry for FT, and then attempt to lateral into MBB 1-2 years later as an experienced hire. Not sure if this is a common practice and how the interview process is different for that.

 

Unfortunately, I have no idea what the actual headcount reduction might look like. It will obviously vary from firm to firm. But even if the job market were hot, I'd still give you the same advice which is don't go into recruiting assuming that MBB will work out. Have a plan B (which it sounds like you do, good job on that) and focus on other industries as necessary. If I were to guess, intern recruitment will be mostly normal, but I'd assume that FT hiring for this cycle will be brutal. You can always lateral in once things pick up.

 

Hi @esgwannabe, I appreciate your response. How much do you think the size of the incoming class will be reduced? It is even worth it to prep/apply for MBB? I was targeting application deadlines from July-September, since finals and the end of the quarter are taking up most of my time and I won't be ready to apply by June. If the bar to get into MBB is too high/headcount is too small, then I might focus my efforts on recruiting for another industry for FT, and then attempt to lateral into MBB 1-2 years later as an experienced hire. Not sure if this is a common practice and how the interview process is different for that.

 

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