How would you kill 10 months of free time?

Got the offer last month for FT Analyst starting next summer. Graduated last year. I have like 10 months to do whatever I want really - was travelling but that's dead now. Looking for some suggestions of what to do before I start. Off-cycle? Attempt to travel? Gym? Black out every night? Do something completely different?

Any takes welcome. What would you do?

25 Comments
 

CFA, gym, sex, cooking, learn to play an instrument, road trip

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

Not the whole thing, but almost with how often they're offering the levels now.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

Go do something that you need a long period off for. Some that I have heard of are the obvious Europe / Asia trips, road trip to US national parks (hit Yosemite, Yellowstone, Tetons, etc.), hiking the Appalachian trail, living in Vail as a ski instructor for the winter, tons of cool ideas. It is highly unlikely that you have this amount of time off later in your life, so take advantage of it. You get hammered and lift weights while you work; obviously still sprinkle in getting hammered and keep hitting the gym but don't do ONLY that. It's also a solid time to learn a language, instrument or build a new hobby.

 

Was thinking of ski season but can't actually ski. I've got a friend who was thinking of heading out so maybe I'll get in touch with him. Cheers

 

National parks in the US - do a month-long road trip through the Western part of the US. Go to the cheap places in the carribean/south America and live there

Array
 

I would prefer to start early but bank is still figuring headcount given Covid. Grateful for the offer but starting in Jan would be ideal for me. HR is aware so we'll see

 
Most Helpful

I wouldn't suggest starting early unless you need the money. I was in a similar situation and a lot of my plans got cancelled due to Covid but here's what I wish I did:

- Travel, go with all your friends (maybe its a weekend when they're not in class, you go to Napa or its 2 months in Australia and NZ). If you're into traveling alone, then you should def prioritize going international

- Go to every social event in college (assuming you're a current senior). It's really easy when you're just chilling every day to get used to being a bum

- Do info calls for on-cycle, try to figure out exactly what you like and want to focus on when recruiting comes. Also at least be able to do 3 hour modelling tests before you hit the desk, will make life way less stressful and you'll be ahead of your peers. If there's only one productive thing you do in the next year, its this.

- Maybe take the GMAT? It's easy to knock out when you have free time like rn when you cant travel but also would be hard to study for if you were working in IB/PE and wanted to leave for B-school

 

I have actually graduated already and this was from a masters degree in Europe. Otherwise I would literally just go out every night (aka my first degree). I also don't think I'll be needing the GMAT since business school is not really for me - but thanks for the suggestions! I wanted to travel but Covid is really messing with my plans...

 

I really want to quit my job for a bit, take my time cramming for L1 of the CFA, and then take a long road trip (even though it'll be the start of winter then).

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

Study for the GMAT and try to get it out of the way while you have this free time. It's crazy, but you probably won't ever see 10 months of free time. Just do what you like, but make sure to not get used to being lazy. It'll be harder on you to hit the desk running if you get used to a shitty work ethic.

 

Ut occaecati facilis nostrum nam eaque quod. Consequatur et magnam dolores maiores hic. Exercitationem iure minus voluptatibus ducimus. Corrupti natus rerum ipsa perferendis itaque. Temporibus molestiae ut enim iure et.

 

Labore harum soluta dolor eos modi quia. Dignissimos consequatur dignissimos quos impedit. Quia et maiores ipsa soluta.

Mollitia nihil et enim aut. Quisquam dolorum ipsa ex similique. Et fugit sed sint provident et repellat. Debitis repellat ullam architecto excepturi nostrum nisi. Eius velit nesciunt sapiente assumenda quia.

Optio earum ipsam fugit soluta deserunt hic. Ratione nulla porro praesentium eligendi. Eos dolorem natus nobis voluptatibus quis in voluptas quos. Ut qui illo sequi veritatis ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”