I will be graduating this semester with a 3.6+ GPA (Read 3.6) in Economics from a non-target school. I interned with a regional Investment Bank for part of the school year and the entirety of this past summer. Unfortunately, deal flow in their sector has been relatively lacking and they are not currently considering anyone full time position. After extensive networking dating back to September, I have been unable to line up anything for once I graduate. While I have gotten far into the interview process with a couple MM and boutique firms, I have not received a full time offer from any of them.
At this point in the process I am unsure how to approach this situation. I have tried networking through cold and hot leads but have found this to be a very protracted process, especially this late in the game. I have also applied extensively online, only to find a return email rate of less than 1%. While I see banking as a long term goal, I am open to the possibility of pursuing an MBA and applying through on-campus recruiting. However, I want to have a couple years of job experience before attempting this route.
I appreciate any possible suggestions regarding what to do moving forward, or any anecdotal advice if any of you were able to break into banking this late in the recruitment process.
