Is PE worth the risk of not getting a return offer?

Rising sophomore at a strong target with a 2025 sophomore BB offer. PE is very attractive to me because of the more technical nature of the work, and I do not think I would find the work in banking to be for me unless I'm in an M&A group. With that being said, I am absolutely terrified of giving up my nice comfortable BB for a 2026 PE offer just to not get a return, when my odds of getting a return at the bank are quite high. Is the tradeoff for more interesting work worth potentially jeopardizing my career in the short term? Any advice or insights appreciated.

11 Comments
 

Well what are the chances? If you know % it’s not a tough decision. Even then, if you intern at a good pe firm you can easily get an offer at lower pe firm. They will see that but also you should have some good skills

 

As someone who did PE in undergrad after a BB sophomore and didn't get the return offer, I would not recommend it.

 

Its only KKR that stiffs you with low return offer rate. Not even sure if that is the case anymore.

 

I did a MF internship and could not convert (they dont hire any analysts). I only did it because of the brand name and still regret it today even though I managed to get a FT BB role due to luck/timing. I would STRONGLY advise you to take the IB route and only take the PE route if the internship is convertable + the offer rates are above 30%

 

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