MSF worth it as a way to land a job in US as European? Already got real deal experience.

I want to work in IB in the US. Trying to figure out the smartest way in.

Quick context: 22 y/o. European. Currently M&A analyst, previously intern, at a small boutique in Europe. Before FP&A intern. Undergrad in finance from Dutch uni (decent but not target).

Plan: STEM MSF, ride the OPT, work for 2-3 yrs, see where things go from there. Not chasing H1B, just want the runway without the lottery risk.

  1. Does this even make sense as a plan? Is MSF actually the right move to break into US IB, or is there a smarter way in I'm not seeing?
  2. If MSF is the right call, does having real deal experience already change anything, recruiting, school choice, how they see me, or does it not matter much once you're just "an MSF student" to them?
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