Graduating early (in 2 years) and need advice. Worth it to get MS?
To preface this post, I am a freshman at a non-target school but I will be graduating in the Spring of 2024 because of the number of credits that I had coming in and the number of credits that I am taking each semester. I am majoring in Finance with a minor in Data Science.
My school offers a MS in Finance (very specialized in investment research, though) which would be one additional year (on top of my two for bachelor's) and would provide me with an internship in equity research for the Summer after I graduate with my bachelor's (Summer 2024). In addition, the program prepares you to take the first two levels of the CFA exam.
As of now, I believe I have an interest in investment banking (I definitely do not want to work in equity research), however I have no experience in IB (couldn't even join my school's IB club because of my graduation plans). This upcoming Summer, I am planning on working at a smaller venture capital firm focused on technology/AI companies.
I assume that the MS program will not help me to work in investment banking, though it would provide me with one more year of school, meaning I could possibly get an internship in IB next Summer instead of taking the internship in equity research that the MS program provides (however I may be too late for that already? And it's hard because I imagine all of my applications get overlooked with a May 2024 graduation date). In addition, if I decide to do the MS program, I will not complete my certificate in data science, as I would need to replace those classes with finance courses.
The issue is, I hate the equity research class that I am in right now. I don't really want to put myself through another year of all investment research classes since it doesn't interest me at all, but I will do it if I will be more likely to get into IB because of it.
So here are my questions:
Do you think it would be worth it for me to go the extra year for a MS in Finance, in hopes that it will help me land an internship next Summer/a full time job beginning in the Summer of 2025?
Would it be possible for me to land a full-time IB position starting in May 2024 with my only relevant internship experience being the VC firm this Summer? If so, when does recruiting for full-time start?
Any advice would be appreciated. I'm really lost and don't know what to do.
There's not much to overthink here. Graduating faster hurts you for IB recruiting. More time = more summers for internships = more competitive for junior summer recruiting. Just don't graduate early and be a normal freshman.
Instead of getting a useless MS, take fewer classes per semester and extend your graduation to make yourself a true freshman. There's no way the school is requiring you to use your credits to graduate at a faster pace, that's impossible.
Further, you will not get a competitive/good bank) full time IB offer for 2024 start date. You will be competing with others with stacked resumes who just did a SA at a BB/EB/MM etc.
Lastly, in terms of summer 2024 summer analyst recruiting, that process is well underway already. There have been offers given out already at the likes of JPM, Evercore, and more. You have a very low chance coming from a non-target, unprepared, with no resume, to ramp up in the next week to be ready and networked with banks for summer 24 recruiting. Thus, goes back to the first paragraph I wrote.
Thank you for your reply.
I can't delay my graduation until spring 2026 unless I add a second major or another minor, but I'm not really interested in that. Do you think I could instead still graduate in the spring of 2024 with my BBA and then do a two year finance Master's program that is more applicable to IB? This way, I would still have the extra summers for internships but I would be able to get a Bachelor's and an applicable Master's in the same time frame. Or would that still be looked down upon in IB since it isn't "traditional"?
I’m in the same position as you but for co ‘25 (graduating this spring). Unlike me, however, you will have a relevant degree. I’d say, if money is an issue, try to find a BO or MO position and grind from there. If money isn’t an issue, extend your time at school. I’ve mostly accepted that my path won’t be along the traditional IB pipeline, so I’ve attempted to seek alternative paths. Although I don’t have a ton of advice, I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
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