will graduating in five years put me at a disadvantage?

Hi, I'm a sophomore at Northeastern University, a non-target in Boston. They have a co-op program where students can choose to do 2 or 3 six-month long internships. Each one goes from July - December. My first one starts this July.

I want to stay in undergrad longer so I chose three, therefore my projected graduation date is May 2021 (I began in Sept 2016). I plan to cancel my third co-op in hopes of replacing it with a junior summer analyst position theoretically in Summer 2020. Will I be at a disadvantage to banks if I'm a fourth year instead of a third year while recruiting for it?

some background if this helps: 3.73, interned at a small consulting firm freshman summer, interned at a search fund sophomore fall, and will have two more additional co-op finance experiences by the time recruiting comes around. also in a business fraternity and hold a leadership position in an impact investing club.

32 Comments
 

Bump. I'd like to add on to your question: will banks look down on applicants who have applied for SA positions as juniors twice?

 

I transferred into the Spring semester at my school (target) for the same reason. I have a lot of good work experience (military), but want at least 2 shots at SA's before trying to land a FT offer. I will only be here for 2 years, however.

 

I deferred my year and am completing internships this year (2012) so I can get a BB IBD offer. Tbh - if anything - it shows commitment and the 'hunger' they are looking for. If you think it will help I would go for it.

 

It honestly varies from school to school. IMHO, it's best to have the same background as those who are typically being recruited for Investment Banking Positions. I'm unsure about NYU CAS but if a majority of the Finance Majors and less of Econ majors are being recruited, I would advise that you should stay another year to get the degree or you will find yourself working a less presitigous job and a chip on your shoulder.

 
West Coast rainmakerAs somebody who did the "transfer but take an extra year" path, I'll say it was worth it. It also gives you the chance to get more work experience. You won't look old at 24; if anything, you will just come off as more mature/confident.

I am assuming that you are a Canadian citizen, and aren't going 60k into debt every year.

Thanks for the reply.

If it's worth anything, I don't look my age lol.

Did you ever asked about it since interviewers probably notice it on your resume? Did you even list your prior school on it? How do you talk about it in a good way (I assume I could get asked why I did not just apply there in the first place)?

 

There is no real ding for being a year older when you graduate. You just have to have a better reason than, I did this because university Y has better IB recruiting than university X.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

You're fine. Just:

-get good grades -join finance clubs / take on leadership positions -network a lot -start doing internships and work your way up - No name PWM > MS / UBS PWM > Boutique I-bank > and so on..

Just make sure you have a good story to explain the issues in your background

 

Thank you so much for the reply and for the encouraging words. Where and when should I start looking for my first internship? I know I'll probably have to low-ball it to a local-ish non-prestigious internship but I just wanted to hear some ideas. Also about the MS, I was thinking of doing an mba over an ms down the road but I could do either or I suppose.

 

Unless you're staying an extra year to get a minor in finance or economics or something like that and not just taking classes, I would advise against it.

I would apply to every job that you can find. Play the numbers game. But what do you want to do in the long run? As that will help to decide what you should do in the short term.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Rerum recusandae veniam suscipit voluptas quaerat debitis. Enim dignissimos veniam aut consequatur vel voluptate.

 

Blanditiis labore quisquam temporibus et molestiae velit sint atque. Magni possimus non voluptatem quis. Ut quis distinctio quo exercitationem necessitatibus.

Nulla eos quae nesciunt voluptates blanditiis et odio. Cumque esse ratione fugit repellat consectetur tempore asperiores. Illo dolor inventore enim velit molestias corrupti porro. Iste quidem deleniti est sequi iste laborum rerum molestiae.

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...”