Seeking Guidance: Investment Banking Internship, Masters in Quantitative Finance, and Future Career

TL;DR: Landed an investment banking internship, now unsure whether to pursue a Masters in Quantitative Finance or focus on trying to land a full-time offer.


Hey WSO, I need some advice on my current situation. I'm a senior undergrad at a large non-target public uni on a full-ride, majoring in Finance. I scored an investment banking summer internship at a regional boutique bank (smaller than 15 people) with S&T and research divisions, and they've worked on some big deals in the past.

Now, I'm torn about my Masters program. I rushed into a one-year Masters of Science in Quantitative Finance at another large, public, non-target school. The program costs around $44k, but I have $20k saved up. I was late to the investment banking game, couldn't do an MSF, and thought the $20k was for education only (turned out it wasn't).

I was good at math in high school (last class was Calc BC), but this program would require me to learn stochastic calculus, Black-Scholes, Monte Carlo, and other advanced math. I have a basic understanding of Python, and I'm learning R in a systematic trading strategies class this semester. It's been challenging, but kinda fun. Still, programming doesn't come as naturally to me as finance and economics, and I enjoy modeling more.

So here's my dilemma: Should I stick with the Masters program, despite its limited relevance to investment banking, or focus on trying to land a full-time offer after my internship? I know my chances of getting a full-time investment banking role aren't amazing, so I'm looking for some perspective from you guys since I don't have anyone else to discuss this with.

Appreciate your thoughts!

 

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