*Eligibility question for SA 2025 URGENT

Hi all,

Interned at a good bank this past summer and current senior at a Midwest school, no return offer, and no offers for FT yet. Considering applying for MSF programs and had an idea but am not sure if it’s plausible. 
 

I was thinking that I would put on my resume that I will be graduating in December of 2025 from my undergrad school (I could just add a minor and enroll in the fall of 2025 and do this, so technically not a lie) so that I can recruit for SA 2025, and if I should land a role I would go to grad school and tell HR that I decided to do an MSF instead. 
 

Is this allowed? Am I crazy (probably)? Just wanted to throw this idea out there thank you for the advice. 

5 Comments
 

They do background checks prior to starting... so you might get an offer without anyone bothering you on this, but this would come up right before you start. Also it is absolutely a lie given December 2025 is literally 18 months after your actual grad date. That would be found out very quickly.

Why not just legitimately push graduation 1 semester (Dec 2024), find something for this summer, and then pound the pavement on FT recruiting? MSFs are $$$ and you can't really use them to land internships, they are more for getting an extra stab at FT.

 

Thank you for the advice, really appreciate it.

what I meant by the not a lie part is that I actually could push back my graduation if I added a minor and then enrolled in that semester. Sorry for the confusion. 

 

Do you think it’s possible to land a role at a reputable bank for this summer given that it’s late in the cycle and many have already started 2025 recruitment? 
 

I was considering the MSF to have access to the network for another stab at FT, If the price is right the networking capabilities may be worth it to maximize FT chances in my view. 

 
Most Helpful

You'd sign FT before you even step foot into the MSF. Most of the people who have success with these were pretty close the previous time and just really needed 1 more season to get lucky. The MSF / network does not do much especially given you will not even attend that school during recruiting (as I'm sure you have found, the list of MSFs is short... Vandy/Villanova are solid schools but their networks aren't going to be mindblowing vs your own networking)

I'm confused how you will push back your graduation from May 2024 to December 2025 with a minor. If you are taking long gaps, that is disingenuous. And also a waste of time - you're better off just starting work at a boutique and lateraling up than twiddling your thumbs for 18 months to *maybe* land a better role. 

2024 internships will be limited but get some boutique IB/PE and then grind into a regional boutique, LMM or even MM for FT. Even stuff like corporate banking or valuation (some of those you could even still get for FT 24). I just think waiting around for 18+ months is a bad use of time and limited chance it'll really help, it's not like you have a BB internship you are waiting for. Apply to MSF as a backup if FT goes sideways this summer, but otherwise I would just try to get a job sooner than later.

 

Quia omnis explicabo quidem voluptatibus. Omnis incidunt ea voluptatem ex. Et magni minima et et autem consequuntur fugiat. Dicta molestias voluptas est molestiae officiis.

Molestias consequuntur ducimus temporibus quo. Atque enim aut velit voluptate a. Recusandae ut sit amet.

Nihil nisi ea blanditiis sit. Praesentium neque nulla accusantium porro dolor molestiae enim. Minus voluptas et voluptas qui qui qui nemo. Ut aut provident architecto fugit error. Omnis et cumque sit. Modi nemo dolores praesentium id ipsum aut adipisci.

Doloremque qui ipsam esse iste quia dolore. Molestiae magnam quo in ut officiis sint. Ullam asperiores voluptate iste eaque modi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
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

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