I messed up...
Rising junior here. Ever since May, I told myself that I was going to apply for a bunch of 2021 SA roles. I know this is a little late for most people, but definitely still enough time to prep for the apps that come out in July. I had a plan to use all of May and June prepping for interviews by reading through the M&I 400 guide.
Well, as I'm sure you can tell from the title of this post, I didn't't follow through with that plan at all. Instead I wasted the past 2 months focusing on other things, procrastinating my prep as much as possible, completing no interview prep whatsoever. Now it's June 28th and lots of apps are already out or come out very soon.
I really messed up and not quite sure what to do now. I can still apply and risk embarrassing myself during the interviews, take a gap year and apply again for SA 2022, or suck it up, live with myself, and try for FT 2022.
Procrastinating is something I've struggled with for a long time and I hope that I can learn to get over it soon. If there's any advice for my current situation, I'd appreciate it. Apologies for the rant.
I can't give you advice for apps, but I can give you advice for procrastination.
Stop doing it. Literally: just stop.
No silver bullet is going to fix your attitude. You have to realise that it's all on you, and if you don't stop, you are going to live a life full of underperformance and regret. Five decades will pass and you'll be sitting there wondering what kind of life you would have lived if you stopped pissing your time away watching shite on YouTube all day, got off your arse and did what needed to be done.
Meanwhile, whilst you procrastinated, the world carried on as usual because it doesn't give a fuck about you. If you want something, you have to go out and get it yourself.
Not to sound harsh, but ask yourself if this is really what you want. I don’t think anyone who is serious about breaking into IB should have this problem.
This is maybe counter-intuitive advice, but...
If you procrastinated doing this prep work and you don't feel ready to interview, then I would seriously question if you are actually that interested in these jobs. IB is not for everyone, and frankly it's hyper competitive for a reason. But, it really isn't the only 'good' job in the world (maybe you should just drop WSO.... as it reinforces some silly notions like that).
Seriously assess why you didn't find these items a priority, it could be because you don't really want this career path. It's not for everyone, and frankly why should it be? Many do find it boring and unfulfilling even if highly paid. I would really look for stuff you want to do.
Maybe it is IB/high-finance, but it's okay if it isn't....
It's not too late to apply. Most of the BBs and a few EBs are recruiting later on this summer (starting July 1st for some, some are planning on starting in the fall). Apply for those and hope for the best. You still have enough time to prep- if you demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals, have a genuine interest in finance, and have stories to show you're a team player who can grind, you should do well in your interviews. You shouldn't have to prep for the latter 2 as you should have been working on them your first two years of college. The first one is not that hard. Some of the earlier firms caught me by surprise, and I literally spent a week formally prepping by reading the M&I and the Rosenbaum and Pearl IB book. This stuff isn't rocket science and its possible to learn in a short period of time. Also, the bar isn't that high since they know you're a rising junior in college. As some others alluded to, if you truly care about this job and are genuinly interested in finance, you shouldn't have trouble cranking and mastering the basic technicals.
For pure technicals, I think the best thing I did was read through and annotate/take notes on the Rosenbaum and Pearl book on Investment Banking. It took a few days of intense focus but it's doable to go through in a short timeframe. I thought it gave me a better fundamental understanding of valuation and M&A than i would have gotten just memorizing the M&I guide, so I was better prepared for more advanced questions that would not be in some internet guide. I think the M&I guide was good for practice, but it wasn't my main study method.
Other things to do are read the WSJ, Economist, FT, or other news source and be able to talk intelligently about an industry and an M&A deal. Also- be sure to be able to talk intelligently about everything on your resume. If you're in an investment club, be ready to discuss pitches and the industry you cover, if you have a project listed for an internship, be ready to discuss the context/bigger picture, the analysis, etc..