Next Steps For Me

Hi all, 

I'm currently a senior at a non-target school in the Southeast and I'm looking for some advice on where to focus on my recruiting efforts for FT 2026. I was able to grind my way into an internship at a solid RIA firm in NYC this past summer, but not sure where to go from here. I'm really debating between three choices: 

-M&A/IB at a local boutique (I'm in a region with a large population, so there are a few of these in the area). 

-Real Estate Capital Markets/Real Estate Private Credit: I have a minor in real estate and have had two internships in real estate. I think this is most realistic, but I'm not sure what my exit opportunities would look like. 

-Equity Research: Hardest one for me to get tbh. I'm one of the Principal Analysts on my school's investment fund, and the internship I did last summer was heavily focused on investment research and manager due diligence, but without a formal SA analyst role from my junior year in equity research, I feel this may be out of reach. 

Here are my experiences lined up in order: 

-CRE Lending Internship at a Really Small Shop (Jan 2023-Apr 2024)
-Investment Management Internship at Top 100 RIA (Jun 2025-Aug 2025)
-Real Estate Internship for a Franchise Development Company (Current)
-Principal Equity Research Analyst for my School's Investment Fund (Tech and Communication Services Coverage) (Current)