Stuck

Hey guys,

I want to get some candid opinions of my situation.

I am 10 month FT analyst a no name ten person shop. Deal quality is pretty much crap. I want to lateral to a MM and have been networking for a while now.

My background is not pretty - I graduated from a non-target (think BU/GW/Northeastern) with a low GPA (3.0). Although, I did have a tough major (engineering) and a D1 scholarship.

The reason I ask for advice is that making a move has been a struggle. The one final round I reached, it came down to the fact I had a low GPA from a non-target (despite passing several rounds of technicals). Banks have finished recruiting and those still looking won't overlook my poor gpa/school combo.

The good thing is I have lots of time outside of work (comparatively, of course). My specific question is what should I concentrate on? Should I keep plugging away at networking? Do the CFA? I've thought about positioning myself (studying for GMAT...) for a 1 yr MSF to rebrand myself, but can I even get into a target program? Should I quit my job and volunteer in Africa?

Thanks for any insight!

4 Comments
 

The list you mention of non-targets is interesting, BU and GW are much more competitive than Northeastern. By 3.0 if you are >3.0 and do well on the GMAT >680, you should have no issues getting into a strong MSF. 1-2 years of work experience are ideal. I would say your list should be Vandy, WUSTL, Villanova, BC, Illinois and Ohio State, depending on where you want to wind up both in terms of industry focus and geography. Keep networking.

 

The list you mention of non-targets is interesting, BU and GW are much more competitive than Northeastern. By 3.0 if you are >3.0 and do well on the GMAT >680, you should have no issues getting into a strong MSF. 1-2 years of work experience are ideal. I would say your list should be Vandy, WUSTL, Villanova, BC, Illinois and Ohio State, depending on where you want to wind up both in terms of industry focus and geography. Keep networking.

 
Best Response

rock --> you --- hard place

I am an analyst at a MM bank in NYC. We have had quite a few kids lateral into my industry group. One kid was not even in banking (some valuation consulting shop). Keep networking. There are lots of investment banks. My advice depends on your end goal. Almost all advice I would give would end with go get your MBA. Going to be very difficult for you to get to a BB at this point. MM is definitely possible. I know it is a bleak outlook but walls are there to see how bad we want things. Good luck.

BTW - did a quick search that took 30 seconds and Piper Jaffray is looking for 3 analysts (lateral hires).

 

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