How many gap years are too many?

Profile:

Bachelors 2.2 (University of applied sciences, german grading system)

5 Years experience founding a startup

1 Semester abroad + 1 year abroad 

1 Internship abroad (Big4)

Social work as well as other extracurriculars

24 Years old

My goal after my masters degree is to land a job at MBB. Because my bachelors degree is so bad I basically need to get my masters degree from a top university and excel there.

Now the problem is my GMAT(620)is not the best, especially the quant score(35). I may land a spot in some MiM programs in top 30 business schools this year (Nova Lisbon, WU Vienna, Mannheim) but since i got only 1 more shot it got me thinking.

I could, in autumn this year, get my GMAT over 700 and my quant score up to land a few spots at top 10 business schools like Bocconi. I could also do 2 more internships next summer, and get a third language on at least B1 level. The problem is in that case, by the time i finish my masters, i will be 27 turning 28. 

The second variant would also mean money is a way less stressful affair. I could manage a 30k program this years but it would be connected with lots of stress in a short amount of time.

My question is what would be the smarter choice for my goal? Do a masters now at a tier 2-3 school or just take a second year off to maximize my chances next year and get more experience? Considering I may also want to do an MBA or PhD after my masters during an educational leave, i feel like waiting another year would delay my carrer too much.

1 Comments
 

Asperiores numquam consequuntur beatae voluptatem sint sit in vitae. Adipisci nobis ut necessitatibus aspernatur.

Ut aut ab ratione vero eius rerum. Molestias enim incidunt repellat consequatur natus enim optio. Dolor quod et tempore.

Quo dolor nam quia odit sit ad est atque. Recusandae quaerat ea et voluptas hic. Mollitia quae magnam fugiat qui tempore consequatur. Officiis neque ut ut similique officia.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”