Thoughts on MBA - California Dreaming
Just wanted to speak with the fine folk on WSO about MBA moves. New year new me type beat.
Current situation:
- Previously from BIG 4 FDD (3.5 years). Now an analyst II at a NYC MM IB bank within their M&A team. Newish shop (2017/2018) with solid name recognition but not for IB. I have solidish WLB, leading role in work products, and generally well liked. Currently a generalist but mainly work with the TMT MD.
Goals
- I want to live in California. No desire for NYC anymore. Wish to be in San Diego and surf all day but life doesn't work that way. I'll settle for SF or LA, preferably the former.
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Long term, I want to work within TMT (particularly Technology). Really enjoy the space. Love speaking with intelligent people about stuff I couldn't think of creating myself.
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Prefer to work at somewhere with some prestige but doesn't need to be GS TMT / Qatalyst. Even though that would be crazy.
What should I do?
- Probably can get into UCLA, idk about Berkeley, definitely can't Stanford.
- Do east coast schools (T10 - T15) even get you out to the west coast?
- Should I just try getting interviews for TMT analyst / associate positions out west? Probably can land something I would accept in like 1 - 1.5 years.
Other info:
- Hate the thought of debt but not a problem. If it gets me somewhere solid after graduation then so be it.
- UG GPA was 3.3 (big state school in southeast), GMAT practice test without studying landed me at 650 so I imagine sub 730 is plausible.
- URM
Any top 15-ish school will do. You'll have no trouble recruiting nationally from any of them.
If you can get that 730 as URM shouldn't have any issues getting in at least a dozen of them, especially w/ your background
For the record I know someone personally who ended up exactly where you want to be and he attended UCLA (and isn't URM).
What would be the lowest GMAT score you think I can do? 700?
Where'd your friend end up at after b-school?
I wouldn't go lower than 700 w/ that GPA. You'd still have a decent shot at $$.
He ended up at Moelis
I live in CA and definitely advise a trip here to check things out before pulling the trigger if haven’t already done so.
whats URM?
Vacationed / visited Cali a number of times but never lived / worked there. Not 100% concerned about lifestyle adjustment. \
URM = Under Represented Minority
Got it. SF kind of blows to be honest with you. I guess some people like it, but it has a lot of issues that make it really tricky to like for lots of others. Definitely didn’t pick up on these as much when just visiting vs when I got there and started thinking about it as the place I’d actually live or began living there.
still think California is cool and was decently into coming out here before getting an offer out here. Maybe it’s just SF.
Very strong minority presence so that might help things on your end
I can’t Stanford either. Never learned how to read.
lmao nice one
Got my MBA from Stanford a few years ago and now work in public / private investing in the Bay Area. DM me.
Not sure why no one mentioned USC. USC is still in the t20 and would land you a great spot in so-cal, guaranteed. Also, don't underestimate the trojan network and their loyalty. In the PE space (if that's an option you want to pursue later on), you'll sometimes find that certain shops only hire USC alumni and vice-versa with Anderson. Good luck!
Del
Best of luck!
If you want to surf every day, you can literally do that in LA banking. Sorry for the bias against my friends up north.
West Coast Best Coast: East Coast schools can get you to the West Coast but it's way harder than going to UCLA/USC/UCB and just showing up to coffee chats all the time. Where you end up is really up to you and how prepared you are as well as your ability to understand your story and communicate your goals.
Timing: If you can get a TMT analyst/associate position right now at a time when banks are cutting people, go for it. Otherwise I would say starting school in the Fall, doing a summer internship next year, and starting full time the year after that could hopefully insulate you from the really bad economic timing for banking right now.
A few words of caution: So, so, so many LMM/MM banking analysts who go to T15 MBA have a "GS TMT / similar prestige or bust" mentality and think of themselves as superior to their classmates. Most of them end up falling short of this prestige level, e.g. closer to a BAML Palo Alto tier firm, still great, just don't limit yourself to thinking so highly of yourself before you've started and seen your competition. Adjust your expectations accordingly. Banks recruiting for MBAs don't really care that you can model already (cue Shania Twain: "That don't impress me much"), they are recruiting people with a broader set of skills.
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