Life Science PhD gonna be thinking to get into PE in the future.

Hello Everyone,

Currently I am going to enrol to a PhD program in life science. However, I have a growing interest in finance, such as in equity research analyst. However, I have no background in finance at all. I am thinking to get a level 1 CFA in the near future. However, do you think does it worth it? Or should I not do a PhD but a MBA instead? Also, again, as I do not have a finance background, and I hardly think any company will hire me with my academic background in pure science, do you have any suggestions so that I can at least step into the field?

Any advice is really appreciated and I thank you for listening.

Best regards!

506 WSO Academy Private Equity Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '23 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Short Resume Review / Recap

“Very good planning prior to the meeting and effective notes that allowed the session to go quickly and effectively. We covered a lot of topics on the resume and I recieved a good amount of notes that I can correct my resume in order to make it more specific for the PE companies I will work with. Was very helpful in the way of bringing out niche skills I have in order to maximise my chances at differentiating myself from more typical IB candidates. Also provided good insights on the MBA process, what is valuable and the WHY side of P.E. which I will go into depth with in my WHY statements that I am going to do. ”

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Class of '18 Nov 2026 Cohort

4.56/5

Private Equity Mock Coffee Chat

“Very useful session. Jorge went straight to the point and gave me a concrete action plan for breaking into infra funds in London. Key takeaways: tighten my elevator pitch (past-present-future, under 2 min), do one case study per week (model + presentation + recommendation) and send it to him for feedback, and prepare technical, market and behavioral questions separately. His networking advice was the most valuable part: always end each conversation by asking for 1–2 more contacts, map and message headhunters directly, and follow fund news (closings, launches) to time my outreach. He also offered to refer me to open roles at his fund. Highly recommended.”

See All 11,214 WSO Academy Reviews

2 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

O

7y

Hey justmathew1, I'm here to break the silence...any of these links help you?:

Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

Reply

Quote

Report

Other

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

justmathew1

RS

7y

Nihil dignissimos voluptatem eius numquam unde perspiciatis aspernatur vero. Maxime non fuga omnis natus animi qui consequatur.

Reply

Quote

Report

Other

+71	Is Joining PE still worth it?	41	9h
+63	My girlfriend won’t let us rent out our home for my career	17	4h
+20	Rugpulled on Sr. ASO promote - how to fill a year (or two) before B school?	4	1h
+18	On-Cycle Getting Pushed?	5	1d
+17	What’s one number you wish sellers disclosed before you spent time on a deal?	3	5d
+15	Practical uses of of AI in PE	1	18h
+15	PE PortCo Work	6	32m
+14	Being on really good MM deals. Question	9	2d
+11	Paper LBO	2	1d
+11	Those who exited PE, When did you know it was time?	1	21h

1	redever	99.2
2	BankonBanking	99.0
3	Secyh62	99.0
4	kanon	99.0
5	GameTheory	98.9
6	dosk17	98.9
7	CompBanker	98.9
8	Betsy Massar	98.9
9	DrApeman	98.9
10	bolo up	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Life Science PhD gonna be thinking to get into PE in the future.

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Life Science PhD gonna be thinking to get into PE in the future.

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Private Equity Forum