Cambridge 1.1 math undergrad (this june); master, phd, bankjob or HF?
Happy new year all
Will get my BSc this spring, on track to get a 1.1.
What do you recommend, further studies or work? And if the latter, buyside, banks or HFs?
Thanks :)
if you are interested in quant trading then hf=prop (buyside) > banks. although most firms hire FT from intern classes. So might be worth staying for the masters so you can intern this summer.
Thanks, the master is only one year and as i jumped over two years in highschool i'm in no particular hurry.
What kind of question is this lol
What do *you* want to do?
That's a good question. Obviously I don't know as I have no experience in this field. I imagine I can be of use in analysis and risk management as it is, and with the proper training in many other areas.
I have the impression that banks (who have been contacting me since last year) hire a pool of talent, work them (occasionally on irrelevant tasks) to the bone for several years (16 hours a day at times) to see what and who is left.
I have also heard that the more thorough analysis is on the buyside, and this is very appealing as I want to learn as much as I can.
So this is what I want, ideally; to be in a position to learn and gain understanding without the stress of a too toxic work environment.
All that is true. What you mistakenly miss is that the buyside often does the exact same thing as the banks. That's the nature of this industry.
What you've described as what you want is what everyone wants (how many people in your shoes say they want to learn nothing, gain no skills, and work in a toxic environment?) - you need to do more thinking. What interests you, where do your skills lie, what roles fit that, and what roles of those fit your lifestyle requirements (both financially and mentally).
The issue you're going to run into is that it sounds like you think you can just slot into IB/HF/PE but you have no experience it sounds like. If your CV basically just consists of Cambridge, Maths, 1st class, that's not really good enough for anywhere except quant trading, *maybe* something like P72 Academy. Everyone else is going to want work experience alongside those solid academics.
Do you at least have some relevant extracurriculars or anything else impressive on your CV?
Outside of quant roles (including those at a bank presumably), you will need experience. Without having done internships you’re not going to get into non quant roles at HF/IB/PE at any reputable firms.
Master’s don’t really aid recruiting, they just give you another year to recruit.
Very useful, thanks.
Do you like it, these years you've had in finance?
Yes
It sounds like you don't really have any idea what you want to do. My recommendation would be to do a Masters (probably just stay and do Part III), and then use that to extra time to get some experience and figure out what you want to do. I say this for a number of reasons:
Thanks a bunch Tedward
Really appreciate that you took the time to write this down.
I think i will go for a masters, as you say it is the thing lined up for me, and who knows, it might even prove handy :)
I'm surprised to hear everyone saying experience is needed when according to statistics the majority of my fellow mathmos are nabbed each year by banks and the like (probly to quant jobs then).
And as no recommendations stand out in favour of PE or funds over banks or HFs, I take it that it does not differ too much which one chooses.
I kind of expected Cambridge would give me a pass to any position, being the worlds most comprehensive and intensive math degree, but I now get the idea there is more to landing a job than just abillity :p
I thank you for all your great answers and wish you a wonderful 2025
Good to hear you're thinking about the Masters- as I said I think it's the best move for you. Just to add a few follow ups.
If you do decide to pursue any finance roles, the best thing I'd recommend is to find a friend or someone you know who works in the industry you want to target and speak to them. Hopefully, they can guide you through the processes. Internship recruiting tends to start around September, so make sure you're thinking about it well before that so you're not left behind.
Unironically extremely wholesome that you are asking on behalf of your son
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