How bad is reneging?

I am super grateful and received an offer at mid-tier BB (BofA/Citi/Barclays) for S&T; however, I haven't really been able to get through many other processes yet since it is still somewhat early. I am from a target school and have decent connections at JP/GS who say that I will get a superday soon, but I only have a week before my current offer expires. How bad would it be to accept my current offer and renege if I end up getting JP Morgan or Goldman?

11 Comments
 

Understand that, but who's to say I will be placed on one of those? JP/GS are top notch in just about everything. Plus, my end goal is a hedge fund, and as cliche as it sounds, I know JP/GS generally have better "exit opps" across the board if I do choose to go that route.

 

I mean it’s not the most ethical thing in the world, but since you are part of a general analyst class and don’t really have any connections with actual traders/salespeople yet, you will probably be fine. Don’t put your current offer on linkedin

 
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Reneging at the intern level is not serious at all. A bunch of kids do it every year -- nothing happens to them. Just be respectful when the time comes and you'll be fine. 

As for "morals" -- these firms do not give a shit about you. They'd lay you off in a heartbeat. You don't owe them anything. If you get another offer that's more appealing to you, go ahead and renege. 

Personally, I reneged multiple offers in college. I was able to use prior offers to push timelines to get where I wanted to be. It's part of the game. 

 

also if you've networked personally with individuals, e.g. school alum, this likely won't sit well with them.

I was in a similar situation a decade ago and ended up sticking with the offer I had first. In the grand scheme of things, it really hasn't held me back. On the other hand I've seen other desks hire kids who reneged on "lower tier" offers for us and I wasn't surprised when they leveraged their position with our firm to move up another rung on the "rankings". It's a simple question of priorities and character

 

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