After BB SA... Exchange or Investment Fund?

I'll be working at a Bulge Bracket as an IBD SA this summer. Full time conversion potential is quite high, unless some tragic flaw rises to surface or I royally mess up.

I could go study abroad in my fall semester senior year at a prestigious b-school in Asia. I would have to be on a plane a day after my internship ends. I would have to miss fall recruiting and football season, but I figure both could be less valuable, with this market, and with my school's recruits.

Or I could stay- go through with fall recruiting if I don't get FT offer, and participate in the new student investment fund managing x00,000 along with 20 other seniors. I've been accepted contingent to my decision to study abroad. It's a full year program.

I think if I don't study abroad I'll definitely regret it forever, but I could potentially not like being abroad and regret taking the opportunity with managing the investment fund. Investment fund would also be great opportunity in terms of grad school and exit ops after banking, if investment management's the direction I choose to go.

This is one of the most convoluted situations I've been in and I know I will have to make the final call, but for now Please help.

10 Comments
 

Go abroad, lad. To this day, I've yet to meet a single kid who went on exchange to anywhere in Asia and didn't have an absolute blast. Get that offer and then enjoy your last year at university. Best of luck!

 

just my two cents but I lived and studied in Europe for seven years...it's dividends are just great. Take the study abroad, its a great opp and you will have more depth than someone without it.

Do it!

 

Vedana,

I'm betting you go to USC? We have a student run investment fund with 300k under management.

ideating
srr636go abroad - the experience will be invaluable and will differentiate you from your peers.

Really?

I believe it. Depending on where you go, it says a little about your willingness to travel, work in new environments, etc. It's also a really good talking point and a great way to connect with your interviewer.

A friend of mine told me that he spent 15-20 minutes in each interview talking about his experiences abroad, which meant less interview-type questions. Now, he's set to work in one of the top Restructuring groups in NY.

 

Living abroad has easily been the most rewarding experience of my life. There will be loads of other opportunities to manage money. However being abroad is best when you are a student because you actually have time to live and experience a totally different way of life (unlike once you start working and go on business trips which consist of hotel, meetings, exhausted, pass out in hotel, more meetings, exhausted, pass out in hotel, flight home).

 

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