For front office BB IBD, S&T, ET: Non-target UG + Top MSc/MFin/MFE etc., > Target UG?
Assume I’m a student at an outer borough CUNY (City University of New York) with no on-campus recruiting. I have the opportunity to graduate from this CUNY by August of next year – winter and summer sessions included. Next-to-best-case scenario is graduating with a BA in Economics & Math and, if I’m lucky, a few relevant, substantive and interesting internships. Best-case would obviously be to "break in", as they say, and get myself an interview and then a job...
That said, it is probable that I won’t have the opportunity to interview at any BBs. Anticipating this, I will position myself to be competitive (via top grades in relevant coursework, letters of rec & GRE) for admission to a top graduate program with high placement rates (Princeton MFin) at companies I want to work for.
IF my ultimate goal is to land a front office gig in either IBD, S&T or equity research – would I be better suited to transfer to a target school as a junior next fall, incur debt, and graduate in 2013? Or should I graduate next year, with no debt, and aim for a top masters?
Thanks in advance, serious advice is appreciated.
Transfer to a school with better recruiting is usually a better idea than a masters degree.
OCR is a crutch. Start emailing and networking. If you get some solid internships you should be fine. Being so close to NYC is an advantage in the sense that you could intern during the school year in addition to full time SA gigs. You would be surprised what some emailing and phone calling can do.
First you might want to think about which of S&T, IBD or Research you want to do, they are very different.
"That said, it is probable that I won’t have the opportunity to interview at any BBs."
Why not?
Yeah, I know guys from CUNY who've gotten in to IBD.
If you can't even get a BB interview, you're not going to get in to Princeton MFin, or other programs of that level. Also, a masters immediately after undergrad (ex-law school) is a waste of time if you graduate from CUNY - now, you can say that you had to go to CUNY to save money, but if you immediately go and blow 50k at Princeton just to get a banking job, that becomes ludicrous, and the CUNY becomes a stain on your resume.
Additionally, you don't seem to have any idea what type of role you want to do in finance. At the very least, you shouldn't be game planning your masters degree until you have some idea why you want to get one.
Est nihil rerum et repellendus aut sed. Soluta delectus repudiandae beatae molestiae. Velit commodi voluptatem accusantium aut enim ut. Hic hic voluptatem dolor repellendus quae facilis nemo.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...