Still in college, but I'm looking to go from IB to PE. Is the non-target undergrad going to hurt my chances of breaking in after a stint in IB? Or will I have to get a top MBA after IB and recruit for PE then?
I have great grades, and am very active in extracurriculars so that wouldn't be the issue.
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Short answer: yes
Long answer: yes, but not necessarily. If you are the top 1% in your class you can still do it, but you will have far more of an uphill battle. Best advice: get into the best school you possibly can. The biggest dumbass at Harvard still goes to Harvard. That brand will add tremendous value to their pedigree regardless of how intelligent they truly are.
Are you saying get into the best MBA program? (I'm already 3 years deep in my undergrad)
Would a solid plan be IB>Corp Dev(or similar)>Top MBA>PE?
Is this for real?
You can’t get into PE after MBA without doing PE before (well you can but unlikely).
If you go to non target, aim for the top bank and top group so you still get a look. Network hard. Even if you land at a decent bank/group, you should have a shot at MM and go from there.
If I am going to a top bank and a top group (MS M&A, GS TMT, EVC M&A) but from a semi-target with a 3.6 GPA would my school and GPA hinder my chances at MF/UMM PE?
No in the sense that you will get interviews (most likely) but yes in that your competition will be others from top universities with top notch GPA.
Don’t worry about what you can’t fix. Have a good story and work hard. Show them why you deserve it more than a kid from Harvard with a 4.0
Is this a shit post?
Yes and no. At the end of the day finance is filled with prestige whores who care about that sort of thing but it depends what kind of PE firms you are looking to go to, a lot of the people on here are aiming for the mega funds which tend to follow strict hiring processes and recruitment timelines so many of the comments will say if you don't do xyz then you can't get into PE but that isn't really true across the board. Someone already mentioned it is highly unlikely to get into PE post MBA (if you decide to go that route) without first having PE experience pre-MBA, which is BS as a blanket statement. If you are looking more for MM shops they typically hire adhoc and don't follow the prescribed industry hiring schedule and process that the mega funds stick to and at that point deal experience becomes more relevant that prestige of your undergrad. Having a great story and real experience goes a long way.
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