Delay graduation or pursue MSF

Ok here is the situation:

I accepted an insurance internship this summer and it will be my first internship but I have since discovered that I want to be an investment banker, which puts me at a disadvantage because I will be finishing up my junior year this semester. This puts me in a position where the only way to get an IB summer analyst position would be to delay graduation or pursue a masters in finance and try to get an internship next summer. My goal is to get an IB summer analyst position because I want to go through the intern experience and I believe that it will put me in a better position to attain a fulltime position. Hopefully I will get an offer after my internship and become an analyst, then work for 2 years before getting my MBA most likely.

The reason I am considering a MSF is because I am from a state school which is not ranked very highly in finance and think “rebranding” myself would be a good idea. I still want to get an MBA later however, so I don’t want to hurt my chances at that. I currently have a 3.4 GPA, and am working towards club leadership positions.

My question is: would it be better to delay graduation a semester or two and pick up another major or study for the GMAT apply to MSF programs and try to get an internship after I graduate?

And I also know that some banks won’t consider applicants who have already graduated but I have heard that graduating in five years might look bad on my resume later on, which is why I am not sure of which option I should take. Thank you for any advice.

5 Comments
 

I'd try and land a FT insurance offer or just apply for a FT banking job without doing a SA. No need to delay graduation or do an MSF yet.

 

clock is still ticking today. No excuses for not finding a job with your potency - Start networking next second, and spend that $20 on WSO networking guide, or Vault Guides and relevant stuff, etc. My UG isn't as strong as yours, and I found a job just fine. If you can't get at least one offer, you simply did not try hard enough, and that can happen even if you take MSF.

MSF is always a backup and not a priority choice. It's less useful for people from sharp UG schools. too early to think about MBAs, just do your current responsibility well, and you'll end up fine one way or the other.

 

Hustle as hard as you can to land something now. Plenty of alumni in finance from the schools you mentioned. Delaying graduation might be the next best step as it is pretty economical. I'd consider an MSF as your last resort. Honestly, you should be able to land a banking job or something closely related from a top public university.

 

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