New, I think I am grasping at straws here.

Hey!
My name is Zack and I am 21. I'm going to be graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BS in Business and Economics this December. I have a 4.0 GPA here including A+'s and I am currently taking a semester in Japan. I never thought I would make it to University and while I was in school the only goal I worked towards was Japan. I am nearing the end of my semester in Japan and will be returning to the U.S. shortly. I had assumed I would just attend the Economics master's program and then take employment through a recruiter at UNCG because this would be easiest. Due to various reasons, I have taken on extra courses this coming semester ending in Dec so I can graduate and move to Chicago. I was pretty much given a guaranteed acceptance to UNCG, but since I will be in Chicago I am rethinking my goals. I really have no idea what corporate life is like, both of my parents have worked in retail as lower management or sales associates most of their life. I am kind of lost as to what I should do after December. I made an account here with the hopes that some older members could possibly share their experiences or offer advice.

2 Comments
 
Best Response

first off, welcome. I think it's hard to know what the corporate world is like until you actually try it. It sounds like you are graduating early in December? If that is the case (or even if it's not), I would immediately read as much as you can on the various industries and see what interests you. the markets, trading, M&A?

In parallel with that you should be building out your network on LinkedIn and in real life. The goal being that when you are done in December, you can do an extended internship if needed or rotate through a few internships.

For someone with your grades and not a great idea of what you want to do, an FLDP program might be a good fit since you get to see a variety of functions within a large corporation. Our Corporate Finance guide dives into these FDPs into great detail to give you a feel if it's for you: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/finance-development-programs-an-ov…

Good luck and welcome! Patrick

 

Atque consequatur repellendus officiis corporis error eligendi libero voluptatem. Ipsum aut totam possimus dicta aut error et.

Ad aut minus omnis velit laudantium. Explicabo aut recusandae similique quis aut. Vel voluptatem distinctio reprehenderit similique nesciunt et. Reprehenderit id blanditiis eos iste natus corrupti placeat quibusdam.

Quas suscipit maiores quia accusamus sit quaerat. Voluptate autem magnam est laborum tempora.

Quos blanditiis eos quia quam sit est. In illum sed tempora veniam. Temporibus est et quisquam animi placeat doloremque corporis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”