Top Undergrads taking PE/HF roles now?

is it true that a larger amount of top undergrad targets are taking roles as PE/HF analysts right out of undergrad now? I know this has been done in rare situations before, but is this becoming more common? Do these kids lose anything from skipping IB?

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

While buy-side out of undergrad has always been an option, it has become more of a common choice out of undergrad for students interested in Private Equity / Private Credit / Hedge Funds; provides an easy path to becoming an investor and allows you to skip the 2-3 years of banking into an investing role. The people who succeed in these types of roles are the ones that take self initiative during their undergrad years and those who complete relevant internships. Investment banking will give you a more comprehensive training program that is structured and for those who don't know what they want to do and need a structured program IB is the best path, but for those who know they want to be investors and are capable of demonstrating it, they often join buyside firms out of school.

 

Do you think people who skip their banking stint lose anything in terms of variety of exit option opportunities due to not having the banking experience on their resume, like could they still exit to industry roles or leadership positions as easily?

 

You can still have the same exits to industry and leadership roles from PE. If you can land a PE gig out of undergrad, you’ll be in better shape than anyone doing IB for any exit. PE firms also all but guarantee M7 bschools admission, another way you could pivot into other exits.

I haven’t seen the same for HF guys. These guys don’t really have strong exits from what I’ve seen. I think there would be some cases where you should pick IB over HF. It depends on your career aspirations.

 
Funniest

Perferendis quia qui non optio qui. Maiores pariatur eaque velit pariatur aut ut. Corporis dolores eius mollitia rerum. Consequatur qui in ex. Voluptatibus sit porro sunt unde aut dolor soluta.

Omnis quis beatae quisquam et asperiores. Temporibus est et dolorum eius.

Dolorum quia numquam eos repudiandae. Explicabo ut ea repellendus quis omnis iusto. Consequatur quidem omnis minus tempora.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (27) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”