Rising Sophomore who can only think about recruiting seeking advice
I ultimately want to do MF PE/ HF/ try to start a fund eventually. My thinking is that I sacrifice the next half year for an easier life/ more optionality/ opportunities in the future. I feel like my goals are easier to achieve if I place well.
I actually am interested in this career irrespective of money/ prestige and I truly find it super interesting. Would def have a happy life working anywhere front office. But, I literally wake up and go to bed thinking about recruiting.
I'm thankfully self aware enough that this is unhealthy so posting to seek advice from people who might have been in my position.
It's impacting my social life --> get anxious while hanging out w/ friends for example because "I could be studying BIWS/ networking." Then I start overthink about placements and all other bullshit kids my age are concerned about.
Call me a sweat or whatever, but posting this to ask about people who may have had similar experiences and any advice they may have to stay a bit more grounded. I def know I'm being a little irrational and ridiculous but I still can't help thinking/ stressing all the time.
I completely relate. I went through a phase of feeling like I was always behind and stressing about getting everything prepared for recruiting (networking, technicals, and behaviorals). Also, I think there is value in thinking ahead (it shouldn’t make you a “sweat”) because you’d hate to be in a position where you regret a decision in the future. The bottom line is these things have to get done at some point. The earlier the better, so you’re cruising as interviews come along instead of cramming it all in a few weeks.
1. Just know that you’re ahead of the curve (idc what anyone says Summer is earlier than most people start to think about this stuff)
2. Build yourself a plan by reverse engineering based on where you want to be by a certain date. That way when you stick to the day to day prep you’ve built for yourself, you feel content rather than overwhelmed. When you know you’ve put in the work you have to, you can enjoy your downtime and be a freaking freshman in college. It’s the same for anything - when you know you have a final exam tmrw, do you feel better hanging out with your friends before or after you’ve finished your studying?
Really appreciate the advice bro. That makes complete sense. Will def plan out my days and weeks so I can enjoy some of my free time haha. Thanks a ton!
Glad I could help! Tbh what you're saying completely resonated with me - frankly, because if you want it badly enough, recruiting will take that kind of toll on you. But balance and moderation is key, so setting those actionable steps and having faith in your plan is the best approach you can take. Good luck brother, enjoy your Summer before it's too late!
So I experienced this around the same time as you, and felt the same sort of pressure, especially because - at the time (pre-college transfer) I was at a total non-target. What sort of snapped me out of it was something said to me on a call with a JPM guy who was an alum from my non-target.
He told me that, especially as an undergrad, 80% of interviews are the interviewer figuring out if they'd enjoy sitting next to this guy for 10 hours a day, and the other 20% is the ability to at least fumble your way through some basic 3-statement modeling/explaining a dcf/knowing basic finance/market stuff, etc. Not that everyone in finance some super sociable gigachad who everyone loves to hang out with, but his view was that that was genuinely the most important part for undergrad interviews, and it held very true for me through undergrad.
That's why leadership positions in clubs, frats, etc. are a big resume booster - they show that you are someone that people can not only tolerate hanging out with, but also are okay with listening to (to a limited extent). So, this shifted my perspective somewhat. I still put a lot of legwork into networking - because that is often the first step as far as showing you are a sociable/likeable person - but I stopped freaking out and obsessing over BIWS, modeling skills, etc. Did I still learn some of it? yes, because you HAVE to know it to an extent. But obsessing over that sort of stuff only impairs the more important skills for undergrad interviews, i.e. coming off as a likeable and well socialized person.
Solid advice, appreciate it! What's the general consensus on putting your frat on your resume? I'm recruitment chair next semester actually so I'd like to think I'm fairly good with people but heard it can kind of be a red flag. Don't think I would need to put that on my resume if I can just show i'm sociable right?.
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