Should I accept William Blair offer?
I currently have an offer for William Blair Chicago which expires in less than 48 hours - I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’m from a non-target, but my school does have alumni connections at some banks like GS/MS/PJT. One of the analysts at GS said he would pull for me and the only other process I’m currently in is that I have an upcoming process for JPM CCB New York (which I’m also considering).
I know that coming from a non-target, I shouldn’t be so picky. But I’ve absolutely grinded my way through college and feel that my resume and experiences give me a chance for a NY firm. But I also understand that Covid has impacted the number of offers given out this year, which makes me afraid to not take the offer.
A part of me has just felt kinda unsettled when thinking about taking the offer. I don’t necessarily feel enthusiastic about the firm - it just feels like the most realistic option for me. I would love advice about this situation - should I take the risk...?
No, clearly you should not...and you already know this. Just take the offer.
WB is an excellent firm, I would go ahead and take the offer. I’m assuming CCB is some sort of corporate banking role? I wouldn’t recommend that at all. So really it’s between the WB offer and putting all your eggs in getting an offer with GS, where you don’t have even a confirmed interview yet.
WB will give you great exits if you stay and want to move to a buy side role in Chicago, or you can try your luck in FT recruiting next year after the summer, and I can’t imagine it would be too tough to move into a NY based BB (maybe not GS/MS but one of the others) if you still decide you want to be in a larger firm and in NY. The quality of the senior guys at Blair is very strong, and people have a lot of respect for the firm, in Chicago particularly, where it is probably the most prestigious role you can get out of undergrad (maybe with the exception of something at Citadel) but even in NY.
FWIW - GS/MS former analyst here who didn’t get past the first round at Blair. Congrats on your offer!
If at this point WB is the only offer you have, I wouldnt be sure of your ability to land GS/MS anyway. Just take what you got
e: Fuck it, bring on the MS, no regrets