SA '21 or FT '21 Recruiting? Which should I pursue given my circumstances?

In search of advice from those who might have been in my shoes or have insight into my situation.

For background, I attend a large non-target school in Colorado (think CU, CSU, DU). An internship was lined up for Summer 2020 at Bessemer Trust, on the investment team in NY. Those plans fell through.

I am now planning to intern at an Options-focused investment advisory firm, a regional boutique healthcare bank, and a lower MM bank (based in Boston, with a strong presence in Colorado). All three internships will likely take place between now, August '20, and late May '21. I also graduate May '21 and will do so with a 3.8 GPA.

With that in mind, I am pursuing SA '21 AND FT '21 positions, in tandem with an IB focused recruiter.

TLDR, my question is this: Should I continue pushing for SA '21 positions, secure the job and then disclose my need to join the analyst class sooner? Or should I aim for more regional SA '21 positions and hope that all of my experience will land me a FT '21 job?

I ask because I know that analyst classes will likely shrink in the coming year and almost all of the FT spots will be reserved for SA '21 pipeline interns.

I could also consider a part-time MBA while working solely at a Regional Boutique, or get a Msc Finance as a last resort. My mind is open to criticism and ideas.

1 Comments
 

Ipsa illo placeat sequi itaque explicabo. A dolore quas molestias iusto eos. Sit molestiae excepturi accusamus qui tempora autem. Temporibus officia et quam eveniet ut exercitationem et. Praesentium consequatur magni dolor quam dolores voluptatum nesciunt.

Tempora officia rerum doloribus voluptatem sit dolorem. Quam culpa nobis labore ratione. Mollitia est et doloribus dolore quis expedita impedit omnis.

Qui laborum voluptas aperiam ut. Quis pariatur voluptatem eum suscipit aut. Nihil dolor incidunt quos officia omnis qui sit.

Similique et molestiae qui autem sit adipisci facilis. Laborum voluptates voluptatem aperiam possimus exercitationem rerum eum. Blanditiis iusto eos provident magnam reiciendis. Voluptates deleniti voluptatem autem sed voluptatem. Et et ipsum necessitatibus necessitatibus quia nulla.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”