Pre MBA Associate at Zombie Fund...

I'm currently a pre-MBA associate entering my second year at middle market private equity firm and am in quite an odd situation. My fund has no dry powder left to do deals and will not complete fundraising within the completion of my associate program. I was originally considering heading to business school at the end of my program but am unsure what the post MBA p.e. recruiting scene would be like given I've closed 1 platform acquisition but doing literally nothing but portfolio mgmt/haven't looked at a single deal past receiving a CIM besides for the above.

If you were in my shoes would you try to leave your program early, stick through to your second year and go to bschool, or stick through to second year and go to another fund? My main concern with leaving early is burning bridges in a small community and for going straight to business school is that I would have no clue wtf to do as a post-MBA associate any more than when I did coming out of banking. However, I'm also aware that if I wait until my second year end and go elsewhere, my chances of getting into a top bschool being 6 years out of college drop significantly.

Sorry for the lengthy post, just trying to make it through this quarter life crisis. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

4 Comments
 

Go recruit and join another fund then apply to bschool. My friend was in the same situation as you. Worked 1 year at a zombie PE fund and completed no deals after doing banking for 3 years. He re-recruited and joined a better PE fund as a pre-MBA associate, spent 2 years there, and is now at HSW. It's worth it - make the move!

 

I have a good friend who was in a similar situation. You would be best served getting more experience prior to business school. That said, if you are a rockstar despite your lack of reps, you could still land a good PE job out of school. Lots of people were stuck doing no deals in the 2008 - 2010 time frame that still managed to get post-MBA jobs despite limited deal activity.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Et consectetur ut id qui. Dicta distinctio debitis blanditiis consequuntur consequatur nulla accusamus. Distinctio officiis ut cum reprehenderit sapiente voluptas vel. Facilis quibusdam nobis et ipsum eaque occaecati repellat.

Consequatur maxime tempore rerum autem consectetur. Labore tenetur quaerat quam fugit numquam fuga non. Porro eligendi non modi iste soluta ratione perferendis. Consequuntur harum nesciunt ea. Reiciendis quas animi dolorem ratione. Laudantium error consectetur non tempore officiis id amet. Odit possimus natus enim iste consequatur.

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) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 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%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 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 (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

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...”