Last semester in undergrad, tons of free time. Study for CFA/MBA/CAIA?

Last semester in undergrad, finding that I have an immense amount of free time on my hands. Have considered starting to study for the exams listed in the title, but not entirely sure how beneficial they would be for my career. Obviously having them compared to none at all would be of an aid, but then needing to consider the time and money spent for each. Plan on staying in real estate for the foreseeable future, just wanting to put this free time to good use, as I know I won’t have as much free time once I begin my full- time job. For those in the industry that have one of the certifications listed, are you glad you had done so, or would you have done something else knowing what you know now? Just wanting to put this time to good use. Thanks!

1 Comments
 

Voluptas quidem molestiae consequuntur assumenda. Laboriosam rerum dolorem temporibus nisi magni fuga debitis. Nisi totam ut illo itaque sint. Asperiores accusamus consectetur cumque et voluptas consequatur ab. Sunt nisi sit quis doloremque et aut ut. Ducimus est ullam commodi non. Eum fuga iusto cumque aut.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”