Switching from Poli Sci to IB/Consulting - Am I Too Late?

Hey everyone,I graduated from a non-target UC public school in 2021 with a degree in Political Science (GPA 3.48). Unfortunately, my plans to attend Navy OCS (accepted candidate in June 2022) and for Flight School were derailed due to a medical injury that occurred earlier this year while waiting with my next class cohort, which also left a huge gap in my work experience. Following this, I spent some time contemplating my career path and decided that I am no longer interested in attending law school. Instead, I am interested in transitioning into finance or consulting. However, I am unsure if it's too late for me to pursue this career path.I am considering UVA's Masters in Commerce, Duke's MMS program, and a few other MSF programs to rebrand myself. But, my eligibility is a concern since I just turned 24 and have a significant gap in my work experience since graduation. I'm also an Asian male candidate (non-international student) from a non-target school, which I know can be a disadvantage in this industry and admission to these schools (based on other posts). On LinkedIn, I noticed that most of the individuals who placed into IB or management consulting from UVA and Duke Masters programs were prior undergrads from those colleges, which differs from my situation.I would appreciate your insights and advice on whether it is possible for me to break into IB or consulting with my background and work gap. If not, are there any other programs that I should consider to increase my chances? And do you have any general advice for someone in my position? I just want to understand if this is all sort of a reach for me considering my gpa, major and background.Thanks in advance for the help and insights.

1 Comments
 

Corporis quasi porro et est omnis impedit omnis. Commodi velit asperiores et aspernatur quia. Eligendi eveniet ab aut qui sed ad sit. Ducimus placeat vero rerum aliquid.

Ut et quo aut rerum in. Molestias similique est enim commodi ea. Et similique possimus velit eveniet odio distinctio.

Molestiae esse totam id. Consectetur nulla aut enim.

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 (66) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”