How easy/realistic is it to break into US PE from LSE Econ masters?
Hello everyone,
I'm an undergrad at a West Coast target studying math and computer science. From an area where everyone I knew wanted to pursue tech, so got exposed to IB very late and missed the on campus investment club to IB pipeline. I'm considering roughly these paths. How reasonable/doable is this? Thank you!!
- CS masters at CMU/Princeton/Stanford -> MBB or Point72 type program-> PE
- Econ masters (US citizen. Considering UK programs as well) -> IB -> PE
- Work at smaller PE fund as a new hire and lateral my way up.
You want to do Point72 Academy to get into PE…?
What
Do LMM BO and get top tier MBA
Breaking into U.S. PE from an LSE Econ master’s is challenging but doable. The most straightforward route is through IB → PE, so targeting a solid investment banking role is key. Your LSE background will help, but competition will be tough. A CS master’s from a top school like CMU or Stanford could also work, especially if you go into consulting or a hedge fund first, which can lead to PE. Starting at a smaller PE fund is another option, but lateral moves to larger firms can be harder and take longer. Networking will be crucial whichever route you take.
Your best bet for PE is still to network like crazy and get in somewhere as an IB Analyst. You have much better odds of that than LSE Econ ->PE
I’m confused - if you’re still at least an undergrad senior then recruit for any market tangential role or smaller financial advisory firm, or credit or consulting or commercial banking or strategy. Try to lateral in a year or two. All the other steps feel like such overkill.
I’m already a junior with effectively zero finance experience. I’m frankly worried about taking a pay/prestige cut for something with such low odds of success. I have an offer lined up for tech. Everyone is telling me it doesn’t make sense to go into banking/pe for lower pay and worse hours, but I don’t see a path I’m interested in in tech that doesn’t lead to stagnation after a few years. I also feel like I’d be better at the work in finance, but the odds are so stacked against me that taking the risk seems irrational. The intermediate steps I guess are my attempt to mitigate that (give me an out if it doesn’t work out). I know I’d have to be all in if I were to do it, but wanted perspective from experienced folks about my situation
Agree with asdf. Especially if you're a junior, just stick to the proven paths of IB or MBB (if don't think can get FT IB without an internship). All these other routes are very low odds.
On your latter point (comp, etc.), you have to commit to the finance track or not. There's a real risk/reward trade-off, but that's the point. If you go the tech path, consider PE route largely closed (as MBA --> PE is rare). Both can have upside but it looks very different (carry versus RSUs versus founding a company, etc.).
Thank you so much. This was immensely helpful. I think I’m going to see how my internship this summer in tech goes while recruiting for FT MBB. If I don’t love it, I’ll commit 100% to the proven MBB -> private equity track.
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