“My mentoring session with Andre was extremely valuable and gave me the clarity and direction I needed at an important stage of my application journey. He was kind, approachable, and generous with his time, creating an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable sharing my experiences, asking questions, and discussing my doubts openly.
One of the most helpful aspects of our conversation was his guidance on how to organize and communicate my personal story. Andre helped me understand how to connect different experiences into a coherent narrative, identify the elements that matter most, and explain their significance more clearly. His perspective was fundamental in helping me see how to present my background with greater confidence, purpose, and authenticity.
I particularly appreciated his advice on what to avoid. He helped me recognize that including every detail does not necessarily make a story stronger, and that being selective can make a message much more effective. Our discussion gave me a clearer understanding of how to avoid unnecessary repetition, keep my narrative focused, and ensure that each part contributes something meaningful to the overall application.
Andre also provided valuable guidance on how to organize the application process itself. He helped me think more clearly about priorities, how to approach the different components, and how to make the work feel more manageable. Having a clearer structure has made a difference to my mindset: instead of seeing the applications as one overwhelming task, I now feel better equipped to approach them through specific, achievable steps.
Another important takeaway was his advice on how to use the coming days effectively. Our conversation helped me understand where to focus my energy, which tasks deserve immediate attention, and how to establish a realistic plan. I left the session with a stronger sense of direction and a better understanding of how to balance thoughtful preparation with consistent progress.
What made the experience positive was the combination of practical guidance and encouragement. Andre offered suggestions in a considerate and constructive way, helping me reflect on my choices while also making me feel supported. His kindness made it easier to engage honestly with the process and to see areas for improvement as opportunities to strengthen my applications.
Overall, this session was fundamental in helping me understand both what I want to communicate and how to move forward. I now have a clearer approach to telling my story, organizing my applications, avoiding common mistakes, and planning the next few days with intention.
I am very grateful for Andre’s support and for the care he brought to our conversation. His advice gave me useful tools, renewed confidence, and a more focused approach to the work ahead. I would highly recommend a session with him to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance, practical direction, and a supportive space to develop their application narrative. The session helped me turn uncertainty into a clearer plan, and I feel much more prepared to make the most of the time ahead and present my experiences in a meaningful and convincing way.”
banks dont work on weekends, so you will most likely hear back from GS tomorrow.
What
LAZ if you could handle the hours otherwise BAML M&A
I know but it's very competitive, so I'm trying to make a decision assuming I won't get it
You should take Laz...
take lazard...unless you believe girls can't handle the hours
Going against the grain here, but I'm going to give you young monkeys some advice: do not take exploding offers. It is a slimy practice and you will want nothing to do with a firm that pulls such crap. At the end of your SA stint they will pull even slimier crap because they think they own you and will obstruct, in ways you do not see, your FT recruiting.
Have confidence that if you can get an offer at A, you will get one at B. I know how tightly wound you are about getting any offer, but relax and don't underplay your hand.
Mark this post: you will regret not following this advice.
I've been there.
who extends offers that don't explode these days?? when i was a junior i had 5 offers and they all had exploding deadlines which on average was 2 weeks
EOs were explicitly banned at several schools when I was recruiting -- firms would be banned from future access if they offered EOs. If this has changed since I was an undergrad, it's a loathsome development.
HR might not
Right, yes, this is what I was going for--you generally won't get notified of results on a weekend.
Agree you should ask HR to let you wait to hear back from GS. Otherwise of those three, I'd go Laz for sure. BAML M&A I've heard mixed things. Most of their engagements are balance sheet oriented.
To be fair, offers aren't 'exploding' if they give you two weeks to decide. Let's say you're on the other side of the table. You have to fill an SA scheme or graduate program, and whilst you want the very best talent possible, you also don't want to wait around for weeks to hear if some 20-year-old is going to take your offer. It's an entry-level offer--you don't get months to decide on it, and it's kind of ludicrous to think you should.
How many other kids can do the exact same job you will? LOADS. If you don't take the job, they still need to make a certain number of offers. It's like the college admissions process, but worse. Matriculation rates vary widely from year-to-year even at the top banks. Making offers to summer and full-time analysts and associates is probably the hardest thing HR does (in case you were wondering, HR's next most difficult task involves taking 3 hour lunches every day. That's right--every day. Even on days when they want to take only 2 1/2 hours...nope, they've got to go for the full 3. It's draining, and I feel for them).
In any case, unless you're a VP or above, I would never expect more than 2 weeks to decide on an offer. I am a second year associate, and just got an offer from a major competitor to move to a different country, and have to decide within a couple of weeks. It's not like they gave me a deadline, but I'm not going to take 2 weeks to decide either.
Anyway, call GS tomorrow. Ask them to call you by 3pm. If they haven't called by then, you need to call one of the other banks to accept (definitely Lazard). Worst case scenario: you reneg. To be fair, though, I'm not sure I would take GS over Lazard. GS isn't the same firm it was 10 years ago. The additional scrutiny it now faces will make it difficult for GS to operate in the way that made it so profitable. They did all of the same spurious shit they do now 20 years ago, but they were too small to be noticed. Now, my grandma knows the name 'Goldman Sachs.' They have become almost synonomous with greed, and they cannot get away with the same things they used to.
At any rate, there's no need to fret. You have three great offers. It's like choosing between an offer from all of the Ivies. Yeah--no one really wants to go to Brown, but it's not like anyone really shits on Brown (I mean, it's not Rutgers).
It wasn't 2 weeks, it was 4 days in my case, but thanks all your comments are really helpful. I guess I'm just wondering if I can handle Lazard, I've always been a hard-working person but all the people that I meet haven't done all two years..
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