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Forget about the long dribble of questions at the end. Focus on the future - re-recruit in the fall and move forward from there.
You're being unnecessarily rueful. Plenty of SAs are successfully able to switch banks at the end of the summer through accelerated recruiting processes. I see no compelling reason to believe your experience should be any different. Stay in touch with your contacts, and start reaching out for FT recruiting around mid-summer.
most non targets would kill to be in your shoes. If your good enough to get the interview for SA you should be good enough to go for FT
Thanks guys, I understand FT recruiting is an obvious option to pursue, but that really defeats the purpose of the clarification I seek. Am I in a bad spot if I stay at this BB for FT (assuming that is what I would do). I just want to understand why I constantly read this on here
Your suggestion in the post above that "FT lateral recruiting isn't really an option" is false, that's the only reason I mention it. Banks specifically design FT recruiting to coalesce with offer deadlines.
As for whether exit opportunities are really "worse" at the "lower tier" BBs, the answer is, on the margins, yes. Getting a job at any BB is no small feat, so I don't mean to trivialize that accomplishment, nor do I mean to suggest that you're without hope when it comes to exit opportunities. However, if your goal is to recruit for, say, MF PE or some of the larger HFs, your chances are meaningfully better in a top group.
expectations dude- manage them
Well there's also the flip side as you described - if you had gone through the normal process, you: 1) may not have gotten your current offer (because then the firm will get the sense you're gaming them and you're not that eager for the role since if you were you'd go for the accelerated process) and 2) even if you were able to (timing wise) go through final rounds with GS/MS/JPM, there's no guarantee you'd get those offers, and if you had gone through the normal process, maybe you wouldn't have gotten as much attention anyway
Take a step back and think about this: you managed to get a very good SA offer from a BB. How many non-targets from your school have done this? If the answer is few (or close to none) for your year, then you've already beat some amazing odds. It's "easy" or one thing to get interviews (GS/MS/JPM interview lots of people), it's another to close the deal and get the offer.
Banks/consulting firms/all firms really wanting you because you have an offer elsewhere is just psychological... you're more attractive if a peer has deemed you as such. So here's what I would suggest - for the top BB(s) that you declined because you accepted an exploding offer - stay in touch with them. Kill it at the 2nd tier BB this summer and get the offer, and stay in close contact with the top BB. If they (MDs, the team) like you and think you're good (get the 2nd tier BB offer to affirm their impression of you), they will be sure to accelerate the FT interview process for you. Yes, a lot of hiring is done through the SA class, but every year there is always FT hiring (the number of slots depends, but there should be slots). The second you get the offer at the 2nd tier BB - let the bank you've been in touch with know - and that will pique their interest.
hindsight is 20/20 and you still don't know whether you would have got the offer form top bb so I think you definitely made the right decision.
Kanon gave you great feedback. I get and understand the value of going to one of the top 3. Actually more like top 2. I don't put MS in the same category as the other 2. People from GS and JP are not the only individuals to have strong exit ops. If you perform well at a DB/UBS/CS, you can have the same exit ops or at least very good options too.
@firstworldproblems
Listen to Kanon and NorthSider
Grass is always greener. You're in a good spot - don't be regretful. Kill it in the summer, get a good job. Each bank no matter how good or bad you think has an amazing group and try to get in there if you want exit ops. I'm generally against the whole "exit-ops" focus before you even start full time ... do a good job, cross your fingers things go your way and go with the flow.
Nothing you can do about it now anyway.
Am I the only person who read this and found it completely and utterly trivializing?
Bird in the hand, dude. The CS/DB/UBS end of the tier is nothing to laugh at. If you can't do the IB -> PE move straight out of your analyst days you always have b-school. Though really, if you're a superstar at your "2nd tier BB" then your reputation and work ethic will precede you and you'll be fine with the next step in your career.
The fact that this is for SA makes everything even more trivial.
It's like people complaining they got into Dartmouth/Brown and then agonizing that they were waitlisted at Harvard, smh.
Remember that you have to take a lot of what is on this site with a grain of salt. So many people talk shit and are still in high school or have never even gotten an offer yet.
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