Chances for a top MBA from Private Bank/PWM

Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone could provide some insight into whether one could get into a top MBA program out of Citi's Private Banking Analyst program. It's a 2-year rotational program after which you're matched with a team (I believe this could be on the client side, investment side, etc). If I come from a top school with a decent (not great GPA), and (hopefully) a really good gmat score, could I make it into a top MBA program?

15 Comments
 

I'm at an M7 (not H/S) and one of my good friends here came from PWM at one of your competitors (not a rotational program). She was admitted and has done quite well in recruiting in her chosen field. I would think the rotational program would only help, versus her situation.

In summary, very doable. Do good work at your job, get good recommendations, learn what you can, have some ECs, and do well on the GMAT. You'll be fine.

 

Know of a kid who got into Columbia after the that program, but also went there for undergrad I think and had a bunch of cool ECs. I don't think its great for admissions, but you can make it happen. It's still front office finance (or at least make sure those are the rotations you get, some if it is super heavy on paper pushing), and you should be able to spin it.

 

It all depends on what your goal is for after the MBA. Also, you may want to consider the CFA if you are looking to move to AM. MBA applies better to the PE world than AM.

 

Sure -- it will depend though on your extracurricular accomplishments both in college and outside of work. Especially if you're in PWM, you should have time outside of work to get involved in extracurriculars.

Alex Chu

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 
Best Response

If you're 3 months in and hate it, you've got to bail. Staying 6 months to catch a bonus or promotion is reasonable, but 3 years is wayyyy too long to tough it out for b-school. That said, be mindful of the timing. Without a well thought-out narrative and a very strong next gig, leaving anywhere after a year can be a red flag.

Before you even go down this road though, you have to pinpoint what it is you don't like. Too many people flit around for superficial reasons that don't get solved by a move. Don't like the spreadsheet crunching/long hours/getting lunch? It's probably going to be the same at any finance job. Don't like your boss/team? Figure out why not, try to solve it with them, try to move internally and, only then, consider leaving. In hindsight, I've realized a few team members I didn't along with early in my career may have been right, but had a very different communication style than me.

 

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