Apply for Msc or wait another year

Hey quick questions guys I'm soon going to be graduating from a Swiss non target school and was hoping for your advice.

I will be graduating with a 5.5/6 (first) in economics and finance and already have a 730 GMAT however have absolutely no work experience and no great extracurriculars.

My plan is to apply for a masters however I was wondering whether it would be worth it to apply straight away this year for entry in 2023, so I will not have any work experience on my CV at the time of applying, or if this lack of internships and ecs would make my chances very low and should instead wait a year and try to get get a few internships to better my resume and chances of getting in and save some money by not applying this year.

I'm targeting LSE A&F, LBS MFA, Imperial Finance, Bocconi Finance, St. Gallen banking and finance.

Thanks all!

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

While all those unis are targets for MSc, I've seen many international students with zero work experience do those masters and struggle to land FT, either going back to their home country or joining BB back office.

So definitely if you are able to, why not give it a year and do some off-cycle/relevant internships in that time. You can also save up money as you said. You will be a very competitive candidate especially with LBS MFA. Good luck!

 

Thanks for your reply and great advice! Luckily I am a British citizen as well so I would have a little more time to try and find something in London afterwards, but I definitely agree that having some previous internships would be a lot better so I might take a year to find some internships as you suggested. Thanks!

 

Et porro eum earum provident quaerat. Neque repudiandae et iste quis consequuntur error ducimus nulla. Aut eius vel et ea sequi consequatur ipsum corporis. Officia quasi provident reprehenderit praesentium doloremque sint.

Dolores magnam vel ut et numquam. Sint necessitatibus ab quod voluptatem adipisci in. Aliquid facilis nulla qui eos consequatur quisquam. Qui inventore pariatur voluptatem velit et perferendis voluptate quis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”