Unusual Situation - How should I think about business school?

I'm a current Investment Banking Analyst at MS / JPM with an offer for a well-known PE shop that has a track record of placing associates in GSB / HBS. The PE shop is fairly well known amongst the industry with a rising trajectory in terms of prestige.

I am thinking about applying to business school after a couple years in PE and was wondering how I should prepare myself outside of studying for the GMAT?

Although I got fairly great jobs out of college, I am a little worried about my sub-par stats coming out of a non-target (mediocre school) with only a 3.65. A lot of my colleagues have far better stats, so often times, I do feel that I am an outlier. In undergrad, I was so focused on getting investment banking internships / jobs that I was not as active in clubs and organizations around campus (had to work as well on the side). I'm afraid that my leadership experience will be lacking as I apply to the top business schools. How should i be thinking about my application from a holistic perspective?

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Assumenda at corporis omnis ut. Aut quisquam repellat nihil quo. Et voluptas exercitationem veniam ab.

Kate Richardson Senior Consultant, mbaMission www.mbamission.com Sign up for a free phone consultation: https://www.mbamission.com/consult/

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 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 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”