Path To PE from LDPs

Hello all,

Over the past year, I interviewed for various consulting firms and corporate finance roles. During recruitment, I was able to secure offers from boutique consulting firms and some larger corporate positions. My original goal was to go MBB but was unable to get to second round. As a result, I ended up in a top LDP . While it wasn't my first choice, I figured it was a better option than some of the smaller consulting firms. Ultimately, I want to get into P/E as of now.

As some background: -Incoming Analyst at LDP (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, GE) -3.75/4.0 Undergraduate GPA ie: Virgina Tech, Clemson, Wakeforest) -2 Fortune 25 Corporate Finance Internships -Expected GMAT-650-680

My current school of thought was 2-3 years in LDP > business school > IB > PE, but this was solely from browsing older forums. Does anyone have any experience exiting development programs and what to expect for a career path? In addition, is an MBA a necessary step or are there other ways around it?

Cheers

1 Comments
 

Eum possimus commodi quia hic ut. Et minus rem corrupti ipsam inventore cupiditate et. At iusto labore eum est.

Quibusdam corporis et vel corporis molestiae voluptatibus nulla. Et est et distinctio sed eligendi. Et fuga quod dolores doloribus maxime architecto. Voluptatem rerum eveniet consequatur odit earum optio rem.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”