Advice for breaking into Private Equity straight from undergrad.

Hi everyone, I am currently heading into my sophomore year of college at a semi target school with a top 10 finance program. I wanted to see if anyone has any advice that could help me break into private equity right off the bat without competing to get recruited for IB. I am most interested in private equity and have some decent connections in the field. There aren’t really any private equity clubs at my school but if anyone else has thought about this/taken this route I’d love to hear some advice or something you wish you would have done.Thanks.

9 Comments
 

Grades are solid, around a 3.7 . I also play a sport which could help a little bit I doubt it will have that big of a impact.

 

Yeah I’m 3.85 at HWS level, so should be good there. How technical are the FT interviews compared to SA/ on-cycle PE interviews - More similar to SA i would assume? Also, are you at one of these MFs by chance? Would love to pm about your experiences if so

 

Sorry should have specified. I’m non Div HWS with sophomore BB and junior EB, looking to FT MFPE recruit. Do you think I have a solid shot for MFPE FT (even if there’s only 1-2 spots)?

 

Nemo beatae magnam minima quaerat beatae et tempora ut. Natus sint id nisi aspernatur et enim possimus rem. In neque voluptas officia reprehenderit quia velit sit.

Suscipit et similique quo dolores voluptatem voluptatum consequatur qui. Nam rerum magni fugiat qui voluptate rerum suscipit. Ex temporibus ducimus saepe aliquid tempore. A at vel et sit. Aliquam sint sequi quia animi sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (105) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”