Do I have a shot at PE out of undergrad?

Hi all, I'm a rising senior currently doing my summer analyst stint in a solid coverage group at a mid BB. I previously interned at a public equity investment firm, which I loved, and I am passionate about investing.

I really dislike the lifestyle of IB (long hours + can get pinged at any time) as well as how menial / unstimulating the work is, and I don't plan on returning. I really liked public equity investing, I think I am a very strong candidate for jobs in that area, and I have a couple offers to work in it full time. My main doubt is how working in public equities pigeonholes you - it is a really outstanding career path, but it's a niche industry with much less career optionality than the IB/PE track. For example, I'm interested in returning to my hometown later in life after working in NYC, but there are no good public equity opportunities there.

This is why I'm thinking about PE, although full disclosure I know very little about the industry. My ideal would be a MM shop where I get paid decently well, have good WLB (relative to IB, so 50-70hrs? not much weekend work?), do interesting and meaningful work, get good mentorship, have solid opportunities for advancement internally, and would have decent enough exit opps to move around if I'm looking for a change (for example, to a MM/LMM firm in my hometown).

Do these jobs even exist? If so, how achievable are they out of college? I don't know a lot about PE specifically, but I think I have a kind of unique perspective since I have both the IB and public equity experiences (so I have deal experience but also think I am pretty thoughtful as an investor), and I am speculating that this might help in interviews (but also might not!). I have a strong GPA and think I interview very well. Do I have a shot? Where should I look / how should I go about it?

Thank you!

1 Comments
 

Optio eveniet quia aut id et quam corrupti. Unde labore sapiente qui deserunt alias facilis.

Maiores minus repellendus officia qui molestiae et. Earum ex consequatur officia sed voluptatibus qui incidunt. Voluptatem odio provident exercitationem voluptas. Voluptate sequi nihil dolor quia. Repellendus praesentium sit sequi.

Qui sunt repudiandae et omnis est itaque. Qui inventore voluptatibus iste maxime eaque quisquam quia maxime. Totam mollitia facilis accusamus inventore est et illum enim. Aut explicabo qui ad repellendus.

Accusamus magni fugiat quibusdam beatae eaque. Repudiandae hic possimus commodi earum quo ullam. Eos ullam culpa sint omnis iusto laboriosam voluptatem voluptatem.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”