Regretting Signing an RX Offer
I had multiple BB/EB M&A offers and instead took a RX offer drinking the cool-aid about “better exits, better modeling skills, and better exposure.” Am doing my soph summer at a PE shop and am realizing RX is truly a niche and random part of the industry. Nobody knows what it is and nobody cares that it’s harder to get. People ask me if i’m doing banking and are surprised when I said i’m doing RX. Should’ve just taken JPM/MS and people would know wtf I’m doing.
Edit: Really trying to not make this post another circlejerk. Please no more interns asking “what are the exits opps,” “what are the top groups,” etc.
Can you recruit M&A FT from Rx summer?
Also curious what type of PE shop you're at
ATP is it a tier one Evr PJT HL? If so stfu and lock in next summer and recruit easily can get m&a at Evr cvp laz PJT Q. Know plenty of people who have done it.
EVR RX is nowhere near PJT RSSG and HL RX lmao, they're in tier 2 along with MOE
Ik this is a troll but PJT and EVR are 1a/1b rn in Rx. Maybe 5 years ago HL Rx > EVR Rx but not anymore. PJT/EVR snatch up most of the top debtor mandates and often times the 1L if they didnt get debtor.
why is this guy not banned, seriously?
that’s my plan, but is frustrating have to rerecruit after grinding for interviews since freshman summer and interviewing in Jan/Feb. I understand I should have “explored my interests” more, but how tf are u supposed to know what ur interested in when all you’ve done is your freshman year internship.
Hey man, rx is niche but so what? You actually learn cool shit as a junior… you haven’t even looked at the models yet..They’re nice esp if on a debtor mandate or an LME trinseo esque. All I’m saying is, M&A is niche compared to standard finance jobs and this is niche compared to M&A. Doesn’t mean shit if you are actually good and have it in you to do well.
I can offer some insight, having interned in RX at an EB and successfully converting. Initially, I bought into the idea of choosing a well-regarded RX shop over MS/GS. However, during my time in RX, I discovered that the skill set is quite specialized, which makes it challenging to transition into other industries outside of high finance, especially when coming from an EB that isn’t as widely recognized.
I’ve always aimed to move into regular-way PE, and throughout my summer internships, I gradually realized that RX analysts, despite any prestige their role might carry, fundamentally lack exposure to the standard processes involved in M&A transactions—skills that are crucial for non-distressed PE.
When it comes to exit opportunities, after talking to analysts who recruited during on-cycle, I noticed that most headhunters approached them because they assumed top candidates opted for RX straight out of university. While this perception is partially accurate, it doesn’t change the fact that regular-way PE requires a completely different skill set.
If you don’t enjoy your summer analyst experience, as I didn’t, there’s still a way out. I made sure to be a standout performer during the internship, and an associate vouched for me to an MD within the M&A division, allowing me to switch to FT. This is possible at most EBs if you perform well and they want to retain you.
That’s encouraging to hear will def explore that. Thanks.
Revolutionary idea: maybe ppl shouldn’t recruit for RX if they don’t like RX?
Plenty of ppl who actually want to do it also want spots.
Good luck with lateraling though, hope it works out.
I don't disagree, but expecting OP to figure that out 15+ months before they actually start in their Rx internship—before they even do their sophomore summer, which is many people's first finance experience—feels silly. Oh well, another consequence of today's absurd recruiting timelines.
I read Moyer, read all the cases/guides, and genuinely found some of the material interesting. That said, never recruited for the sell-side with idea of staying in it long term, was more concerned with the idea of going buy-side as quickly as possible. How are you supposed to know if you are truly interested in RX when I was getting first rounds in Dec. of my sophomore year? You don’t, even if you think you do.
Fair, am bri’ish so timelines aren’t quite as absurd here.
Although if I knew I wanted vanilla PE (as opposed to Distressed/SS) M&A seems like a more natural target than RX.
Who gives a flying fuck how other people feel about your career moves?
Grow up
EB Rx prestige is a bit overrated IMO. It is only prestigious in the small subset of hardcore finance bros (Megafund or bust crowd).
These are just my 2 cents after having an amazing experience in a top RX group (PJT/EVR/HL) and exiting to my top choice MFPE, so it’s obviously a very biased take. Whatever happens, I wish you the best of luck!
Firstly, I honestly feel for u that u were forced to make the decision before you had any idea what RX was. It’s a poor reflection on our industry as a whole, and I hope it eventually improves. That being said, having been in ur shoes, I think ur thought process is still premature.
For starters, if ur worried about RX being niche bc ppl at ur PE firm don’t know it - I hate to be the one to break it to you - but the shop is probably not a great one (which is totally fine and how it should be given it’s a soph summer internship). Any PE investor worth learning from / listening to knows what RX is - especially if they’re a great/big shop. Every PE firm, even one’s that bragged about never restructuring (Vista) and the most quality-oriented (H&F) have / are working w/ RX bankers. If ur worried about ur family / friends’ perception of u, it should’ve been GS or bust. But that’s not a reflection on RX banking.
Better investing exits are 100%, without a question true for RX banking. When I went thru the recruiting process (on-cycle and off-cycle) every firm - from distressed credit to Tech MFPE / SM HF - and headhunter explicitly said they liked my RX background bc the ppl exiting RX programs had better technical skills - especially as it relates to LBO and more complicated modeling tasks. They’re not making it up. What RX kids lack on business modeling / industry exposure, they more than make up in sheer modeling ability and investor mindset (every creditor mandate you have to walk through 10-15 proposals from an investor’s POV). Every class, including the class participating in 2024 on-cycle, RX kids have placed better. If there wasn’t something special about RX banking (or at least the kids who do RX), don’t u think MFPE firms would stop filling up half their classes (assoc and analyst btw) w them?
If ur at a top EB RX shop (PJT/EVR/HL), your day to day is not going to be that diff from a BB M&A analysts’. You’ll still be running analyses in excel, making nice ppt charts, and doing admin for processes. Only diff is that you’ll get less industry specialization and more modeling / investing analysis experience. If you value the former (like if u want to leave to Corp Dev in a specific industry instead of being an investor), RX def isn’t for u. If u do want to be an investor and appreciate the generalist experience, I would strongly encourage you to approach the internship with an open mind.
hey, appreciate the response. I’m going to be interning at one of the shops you mentioned above, and definitely agree that my options are open. Buyers remorse, ig. The primary thing I came across this summer, was the general disdain for distressed/restructuring as an industry. Returns have been subpar and the distressed shops have made a name as vultures. People were not “impressed” that I was going into RX, quite the opposite actually with me having to listen to 5 minute lectures on why restructuring and distressed investing is “wrong.” That said, want to go into my internship with an open mind and learn as much as I can.
Glad it was helpful. I would caution you from listening to lemmings. You’ll learn that in investing, when ppl declare a style of investing “dead” it’s usually a good time to start looking. Obviously the greatest days of distressed are behind us (just like PE) but that doesn’t mean returns on a forward looking basis will stay bad. The distressed world has been out of favor for a long time because money was free (prime example is all the shitCos that were able to be levered 6-8x and cash flow burning startups were worth billions). When capital starts carrying a real cost (as is now the case) and is priced more efficiently these shops should do better.
While I was never a fan of the distressed investing style (now at a place that’s basically the complete opposite side of the spectrum), I think they get far too much hate for providing an essential role. People idolize VC and hate on distressed without realizing their two faces of the same coin; without an effective way to recycle capital from shitco’s VC’s would cease to exist - capital would be stuck in shitty businesses, destroying value. Distressed shops - like vultures - play a critical - albeit unglamorous - role in the capital markets.
Separately, I hope you maintain your intellectual curiosity. When you get to your internship, please be sure to talk to the partners, MDs, VPs, etc. about investing and deals. Even tho ppl shit on them, they are incredibly smart. Remember that these ppl are literally getting paid millions to give advice, and, unlike in M&A, they’re not just putting lipstick on a pig (although they do do a fair amount of that lol), they’re actually thinking through deals where their services are needed.
Sounds like you are meeting subpar people this summer and should not take their opinions into account. People love hating on things they don’t understand or fundamentally cannot outperform. Par for the course, ignore
.
any insights on HL Rx exits? Feel like they're always mentioned in T1 Rx but the exit opps for PJT/EVR are much more discussed
why did u post this, that’s what he said. This type of circlejerk is what makes this forum gay.
It sounds like you’re choosing a role for its outward appearance instead of its intellectual enjoyment. At some point you have to detach yourself from the herd and follow what is intellectually stimulating to you. RX will give you an immensely good skillset and possibly less saturation given the technical filter.
To reassure you a little, most bankers and investors know what RX is even if we don’t understand the deep intricacies of your work or can talk shop with you. You’re not doomed or screwed and you’ll have plenty of exit opps even if they lean toward the things you’ll learn how to do as an analyst from the outset. Careers are long, bend in the direction you want to go. Don’t crumple up your starting point. It matters much less than the broader skillset you build over 10-20 years.
well if your main goal is for people to understand what you're doing, then I'd recommend to flip burgers at McDonalds - it's very easy to explain.
I am in RX. You seem to be worried about the prestige rather than the job itself. The analyst above said practically everything already but I’ll echo him.
My analyst class crushed it in on cycle. The 2024 analyst class crushed it in on cycle. Every megafund will give you coffee chats. HH’s will hold your hand to get you the offer. Especially when interviews are this early, your group is what you are being judged on. IME there are only 4-5 groups on the street where everyone in the class gets MF PE offers if they want them, and half of them are RX groups
Beyond this, the technical experience is just so much better. The level of modeling that you do in RX is just not comparable to the average coverage group experience, and quite frankly I believe it’s even above the experience in an M&A product group. The reps you get are unparalleled.
At a top group where you’re doing LME/LMT, your work is objectively some of the most interesting stuff in all of finance.
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