Hard to stay focused about anything else during recruiting season

Skipped so many classes, half-assed assignments, no time for the gym, unhealthy eating - Basically being a dirt bag between interviews. I swear my hair is turning grey. Shambles. Why does a stupid job mean so much? Anyone else feeling this right now?

32 Comments
 

went through SA recruiting last year... painful couple of months to be sure. Either it'll all be worth it when you get the offer, or its a pretty valuable learning experience. Either way, try to tough it out for a couple more months.

I recommend prioritizing and then really sticking to that. If you are skipping classes, don't allow yourself to watch TV. If you are eating like crap, don't let yourself go out drinking to blow off steam, etc.

Best of luck man

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”
 

I feel ya bro, just keep grinding. Short term pain for long term gain.

"No one ever wishes they had slept more in college."
 

Caffeine, Qdoba, Advil, and 4/5-hour sleep nights. What helps keeps things in perspective - for me at least - is to look back a couple months/year from now and notice how putting in the effort paid off, especially relative to some of friends/classmates

Have an intv next week 15 minutes before a final. Talk about compartmentalizing..

Array
 
broadstbully

Caffeine, Qdoba, Advil, and 4/5-hour sleep nights. What helps keeps things in perspective - for me at least - is to look back a couple months/year from now and notice how putting in the effort paid off, especially relative to some of friends/classmates

Have an intv next week 15 minutes before a final. Talk about compartmentalizing..

I would mentally prepare yourself to live on 5 hours of sleep per night for a good part of your analyst stint. Between the grind at work and finding personal time it can be quite difficult to get an adequate amount of sleep (by most peoples' standards).

The recruiting process is a walk in the park compared to what you will be exposed to (mentally and physically) on the job as a investment banking analyst on the street.

Now, I am not trying to pee in your cheerios, but be sure you have a good feel for what your life will be like. Sleep deprivation and stress can really test your breaking point. I can assure you that you will think to yourself - more than one time - while you are in the office turning comments to a pitch book at 2am "what am I doing with my life right now?".

That being said, best of luck with your interviews. Locking down a gig early on is a great feeling.

 

I absolutely agree with this.

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

haha yeah I'm still around

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 
dipset1

Skipped so many classes, half-assed assignments, no time for the gym, unhealthy eating - Basically being a dirt bag between interviews. I swear my hair is turning grey. Shambles. Why does a stupid job mean so much? Anyone else feeling this right now?

Try off-cycle recruiting, with a family, with a full time job at close to 60-70 hours per week (fine, not banking hours but whatever), while studying other applicable certification materials. We do what we have to get where we want to be. Good luck to you!

 
rhen dipset1:

Skipped so many classes, half-assed assignments, no time for the gym, unhealthy eating - Basically being a dirt bag between interviews. I swear my hair is turning grey. Shambles. Why does a stupid job mean so much? Anyone else feeling this right now?

Try off-cycle recruiting, with a family, with a full time job at close to 60-70 hours per week (fine, not banking hours but whatever), while studying other applicable certification materials. We do what we have to get where we want to be. Good luck to you!

So.... how big is your dick?

'Before you enter... be willing to pay the price'
 
Best Response
BepBep12 rhen: dipset1:

Skipped so many classes, half-assed assignments, no time for the gym, unhealthy eating - Basically being a dirt bag between interviews. I swear my hair is turning grey. Shambles. Why does a stupid job mean so much? Anyone else feeling this right now?

Try off-cycle recruiting, with a family, with a full time job at close to 60-70 hours per week (fine, not banking hours but whatever), while studying other applicable certification materials. We do what we have to get where we want to be. Good luck to you!

So.... how big is your dick?

My intention wasn't to one-up. Again, we do whatever it takes to achieve our goals. It is different (not better or worse, easier or harder, just different) for everyone. We're lucky to have these types of problems. And if after real, rational thought it still doesn't make sense why we want this 100 hr/week job, then maybe we should try and do something else.

 

Agree with OP - definitely can't focus in class.

Anyone else always get excited/anxious when they get an email? Only to find it's a junk email or an email from your school...

"Try and fail, but don't fail to try"
 

Because every graduate is on the crossroad. It's commonplace. Don't lose your thoughts and stay focused, plan your day and set priorities. Interviewer may ask - how do you set priorities, i.e. what problem will you manage at first - immediate one or important one. But never neglect sports and healthy eating, such disorderly lifestyle brings you nowhere. I have prepared for one test in summer, and never go out of city, didn't do much sport. I failed the test, my father said: it was predictable.

 

Just wait till you start getting multiple superdays..flying around the country to SF, Houston, NYC, Boston during the week of a full load of courses! And then coming back to campus only for more interviews. On top of this, you have no time for your girlfriend, eat fast food because you are always rushed, and don't make it to the gym for pull ups/ ab crunches. You start to feel hopeless and desperate, your gut get bigger, which only exacerbates the issue. And then on top of all this, you get no offers after 10+ superdays and 20+ ocr interviews.

This sums up this past semester for me.

Your grades start to slip, and you lose academic focus. Definitely experienced this.

But, I did eventually land a job, and now I just need to graduate.

Keep your head down, and focus on recruiting...just pass all your classes. That's really all you can do I found.

Haters gonna hate
 
advantageplayer

Just wait till you start getting multiple superdays..flying around the country to SF, Houston, NYC, Boston during the week of a full load of courses! And then coming back to campus only for more interviews. On top of this, you have no time for your girlfriend, eat fast food because you are always rushed, and don't make it to the gym for pull ups/ ab crunches. You start to feel hopeless and desperate, your gut get bigger, which only exacerbates the issue. And then on top of all this, you get no offers after 10+ superdays and 20+ ocr interviews.

This sums up this past semester for me.

Your grades start to slip, and you lose academic focus. Definitely experienced this.

But, I did eventually land a job, and now I just need to graduate.

Keep your head down, and focus on recruiting...just pass all your classes. That's really all you can do I found.

+1 for the humble brag

'Before you enter... be willing to pay the price'
 

This was feeling for my last two years in school. Every single fall, I would start out on a high from coming off an SA that I though would at least get me well positioned to land not only interviews, but possibly an offer. By the time November, and especially December, came around, I would be a wreck. Looking back, I would say try to stay focused on your studies, family, friends, and especially your health. Trust me when I say this: You will be fine...as long of you stay persistent and patience (along with the other norms of recruiting like interview prepping and networking).

Also, make a deal with yourself to cut down time spent looking at phone for that possible call. It will drive you insane each time your phone rings.

Good Luck!!!

Authored by: Certified Corporate Development Professional - Director
 

Yeah, before my super day I skipped the majority of my classes and missed a few assignments. But the aftermath of the super day is just as bad. I got back to campus completely drained and then had to start working on everything I had put off for the past week... Needless to say a lot of that stuff was half-assed so that I could just go to sleep.

For me, it certainly paid off to prioritize the interviews over my schoolwork. I think the key to this may be to try and get perfect grades prior to Dec/Jan that way if you mess up a bit during super day season you will not destroy your GPA.

 

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