Help a struggling student!

Hi everyone, hope you are well.

Struggling student here looking for advice for my particular situation. First a bit of background: I grew up in the Netherlands and went to a semi-target/target school in the UK for my BSc (think Imperial, UCL, Warwick etc) doing something in economics and statistics. Then realized later on that I wanted to pursue a career in finance and so was too late for all classic recruitment cycles and in the process of this panic failed by the thinnest margin to score a First Class. After a quick BizDev summer internship at a tech startup, I have returned to my home country for a 'gap year' (not sure if this was smart) to fill up with internships in finance/banking. Currently, I am in a Wealth Management internship at one of the three legacy banks (ING, ABN, Rabo) and have secured a IB summer internship within M&A at one of the other banks. 
My interests aren't yet fully developed but would say I wish to be in IB for a short period and then move towards either Asset/Investment Management (perhaps in BB), PE/HF (if given the chance) or FO non-IB Banking (think Corporate Banking, PWM etc). The next academic year I am also intending to start a MSc.

I'm currently unsure about three things.
1.  Where to start the MSc. Given my Dutch frugality, I am hesitant to return to London and also don't stand a chance at the top target schools (LBS, LSE, Oxbridge). The semi-targets listed earlier are still tempting. My other option is the start it at Erasmus, but I'm not sure if this is wise as I'm afraid it limits my employer pool and general future trajectory.
2. What field of finance to fill my last period in the spring. Should this be in IB as well or should I branch out early into anything buy-side or non-IB banking?
3. How to move forward beyond my MSc. Should I stay in IB (perhaps in through off-cycles at BB/EB and then the analyst programmes) or make the switch immediately upon completion? Should I apply for London programmes as well? 

Would highly appreciate any help/guidance/relevant info.

Thanks in advance!

1 Comments
 

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