Stressful Decision to Make

I'm currently entering my last year of school at a semi-target school in Canada, and I currently have 3 internships under my belt. I've done one internship at a LO AM, and then 2 in MM PE. I'm at a weird crossroads in terms of decisions I need to make for FT recruiting because it's really stressing me out, and I'd honestly appreciate any advice!

1. Aim for a return at the two MM firms I'm working at

So, both firms have given returns in the past, but they are largely dependent on headcount. I spoke to a Managing Partner at the first, and he mentioned that they'd definitely consider taking me back if they need an analyst. It's a growing fund and they definitely seemed to like me, so this is definitely viable (hopefully lmao). I've yet to start at the other firm, but they've given a couple of returns before (at a low rate, to be fair). Either of these would be the ideal situation, but not one that I can depend on due to it being largely situationally dependent. 

2. Aim for New Grad positions

I'm still waiting to hear back from a few new grad positions at pensions. I had the opportunity to interview at another reputable MM PE firm, but I didn't end up making it through there. There are not a lot of these opening up at the moment, so I can't really depend on them either. This is the second-most ideal situation, though.

3. Aim for a summer internship

This is something I missed out on due to recruiting 1 month too late (massive mistake on my end), but I've managed to scavenge a few processes (I think so at least) at an MBB and boutique IBs. I'm thinking I could delay my graduation and use these to ideally land a return offer.

4. Delay my grad to 2026 and re-recruit for then

This is my last resort, but essentially I would delay my grad to 2026, and recruit (and ideally land) a summer internship, which I could then convert into a FT offer. The specifics about this are still something I'd need to iron out, but that is the general plan.

So basically what I'm asking is for any advice on going about these 4 routes (beyond networking and general suggestions), and whether I'm thinking about this the right way, or if I need to be adapting my approach to focus on just one of these. The order I wrote them in is basically the order of how ideal they are and the emphasis I'm placing on them. I'd really appreciate any help!

Region
1 Comments
 

Eos qui totam commodi vero voluptatibus. Et et impedit ut qui dolore enim. Qui aut aut porro quod ex quisquam ipsam veritatis.

Harum qui labore in nisi sint qui nesciunt. In hic necessitatibus similique amet. In et voluptatem culpa rerum non consequatur enim.

Iusto labore consectetur ut id. Voluptas aut accusantium ea itaque. Eius velit quae magnam culpa nemo repudiandae aperiam. Minima et perspiciatis sed facilis ut voluptatibus. Molestiae ut ab ipsum sit officia ut. Sed nesciunt sit laborum veritatis ducimus. Totam hic soluta et voluptatibus at.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”