Options for an international applicant, MBA ?

The background: I am an Athens based T.A.S analyst at Grant Thornton, I currently work in F.D.D projects with the occasional D.C.F and multiples valuation or I.B.R. I graduated from a local university with grades that put me in the top 15% of my year ( not sure if that is good or not) and then moved on to completed an M.Sc. in Finance from Manchester Business School ( a semi target from what I understand) with distinction. The goal: To get into investment banking preferably in M&A and in an English speaking country. The Plan: Plan A : Continue applying to all graduate programs that allow recent graduates (graduated Dec 2019 ), focusing on smaller banks while attempting to network via e-mails/ LinkedIn / family-friends etc. Plan B: Gather work experience for 2-3 years while completing the C.F.A or A.C.C.A or a sql/python online course and then apply to an MBA program and aim for a Summer Associate job ( or analyst if eligible ).

The Questions: 1) Should i pursue the C.F.A or A.C.C.A, based on my situation ? 2) Which schools should i attempt to get into given that Harvard Business school is not exactly harassing me with offers right now ? 3) What other course of action should i follow to strengthen my chances ? Thank you in advance for your time

P.S my resume is attached if you feel like destroying someone give it a quick look

1 Comments
 

Sit sed commodi nisi voluptate pariatur fuga quia. Hic blanditiis qui quos rerum sed reiciendis repellendus molestiae. Omnis quam impedit dolorem neque aut.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”