What am I looking at - and what should I be taking away?
I figured asking a well rounded community of people I'll never meet is an effective way to rip apart the bubble I've been living in and actually get some objective opinions on how I should think about my current situation. I want to know how I should understand my situation and plan accordingly if I want to get into bulge - bracket IB. So - here goes: (P.S: I could sound like an detached ivies kid who is delusional, and if you think that, there's a (high) chance you're right).
Academically, I went to a somewhat prestigious school in the UK that looks decently good on CVs if people care about it. Got into a target European econ - centric university but am getting low - middle low grades. (Not competitive). Am nearly bilingual in English and Italian and possess good people skills (boarding school tend to help with that). Had a placement month in London Office of Boutique M&A Advisory, been offered a 1st Year Summer Internship (3 mos) which Ill be going into shortly at the same advisory. Hobbies speaking, I don't get aroused by models and valuations but I am interested in learning them if it helps my work and makes me more employable. Tend to read the Economist and FT every couple days to catch up on events. Last 2 points sum up my degree of interest in IB: I enjoy talking about it in professional / academic settings, but not the 1st thing I look at when I get home.
So then, my aim is to get into Bulge bracket IB, or other area of high finance of comparable status. At least at the beginning, perhaps my taste and aims will change as time goes on. If you had a stroll through someone's CV with this stuff on it and had to do a 5yr plan, what would you say?
Grad recruiting is likely to go through a rough couple of years given the macro context. If you find IB bearable, top priorities should be (i) convert the internship into a full-time offer and (ii) secure an acceptable degree class (2:1 equivalent).
Once you are "in", use the IB gig as all-round business training and a platform to explore the world of work. The fact that IB is not the "first thing you look at when you get home" just means you are normal.
Regarding the "somewhat prestigious school in the UK", my experience having gone the one with the four-letter name is that (in the UK at least) you want to get the hell away from anywhere that the "Old School Tie" appears to have value. It is a signal of a moribund firm culture that is not keeping pace with globalisation.
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