I'm a student and my end goal is to go into PE. I know that it is possible to skip the IB and go right into PE with the right connections. For anyone who did that, do you feel it was the right decision? Do you regret not going into banking first?
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Went straight to PE. Definitely not the right decision. Would strongly recommend starting in IB for the connections, training, social life and variety of experience if you can get the job/have the time to get it right.
What size fund?
This is 100% seat dependent and on what you want to do longer-term. By the way I would totally shift your approach away from thinking about connections and toward how you can be the best possible applicant / employee possible. The best PE jobs out of undergrad are far and away generally going to the best qualified vs. connected. And there is more than a good amount of luck, as always.
If you can find yourself a great seat in a renowned analyst program, the options are unparalleled (stay with the firm, jump to a HF, jump to other PE firms, decide the path isn't for you, etc.) and you will be far ahead of peers in your same cohort. The downside is that the experience is inherently both less social (way smaller classes, fewer people right of college) and higher pressure, though the social aspect can be mitigated so long as you keep up with your non-work friends and branch off from there.
Above all, what matters most is getting the best learning experience and training possible. If you really want to gun for PE out of school, the obvious solution is to be at one of the top schools and work to be among the best. If it doesn't work out for PE right out of school, at least you can then get a great banking experience (and banking can be highly valuable at the right firm, but again just depends on what kind of PE opportunity you are comparing to and what your long-term goals are). Really can't recommend strongly enough shifting your mentality on connections - that kind of attitude drives false bitterness and does not set you up for success. Work hard to get lucky, things will work out sooner or later with enough effort.
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