Deciding on a Fifth Year
First, thank you to all those that contribute to WSO. I've been lurking around the site for about a year and the information on recruiting and the industry that those working IB/ECM/DCM provide us wannabe bankers is really invaluable.
I've decided to finally post to ask a question regarding what path I should take with my education to land an internship/offer in middle market ID/ECM/DCM. First off, some background info. I am currently a junior studying Finance at non-target (albeit it has a top 50 undergraduate B-school as ranked by Bloomberg) with an average GPA, but hopefully an above average major GPA after my upcoming finals. I will be interning this summer in a financial services company's valuation division (think Big 4). I am really excited about this opportunity, but I am still very much interested in working in middle market/regional IB/ECM/DCM (think STRH, BB&T Capital Markets). I know that breaking into this type of role is incredibly difficult without internship experience in IB, so I am debating on extending my education to give me (a) one more shot at internship recruiting, (b) an opportunity to bring my GPA up further, and (c) a chance to get more involved. If I do decided to extend my education, I figure I've got two real options:
- Apply for MSF programs at UVA, UMD, and Vandy (I go to school/reside in the South)
- Add a second major in Financial Economics and stay for a 5th year at my current school
In applying to the MSFs I hope get a brand name on my resume and tap into the alumni network at those school. I have to admit though, after taking a look at the course guides for the MSF programs I would apply to, a lot of the courses are redundant when compared to the courses I am currently taking in undergrad.
The real positive I see to adding the Economics major and staying in undergrad is the fact that I will be learning entirely new information, as opposed to really strengthening my skills in Finance at the MSFs.
So, based on my career goals, which avenue would you all recommend I take? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
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