From a regional boutique in an unpopular Southeast Asian country ( BANGLADESH ) to Wall Street : Ambitious or Foolish ?
I am from Bangladesh ( I know the majority of you didn't hear the name before but it's just next to India )
I will be attending a top business school in my country, Dhaka University IBA, for undergard and hopefully land a job at the top M&A boutique firm of the country, BRAC EPL. So how realistic is it for me to attend Harvard Business School or Wharton for an MBA and then land a job at Goldman, Centerview for an Associate role ( New York office to be very specific)
I'm actually concerned about how to land a job for ASSOCIATE POSITION for IBD ( M&A) and private equity. I am not much bothered about how to get into HBS , Wharton ( as certain things need to be done: GMAT scores, Recommendations, etc.)
I mean how the recruiters from the BBs and EBs and even mega fund private equity firms , would perceive me given that I've worked in M&A for 5-6 years in a pretty much unknown country and attended HBS or Wharton .
I know the question has been too long but eagerly waiting for the replies
CHEERS!
Lmao at the audacity of the guy who thinks that doing M&A in Bangladesh will get him into HBS
Well there has been a number of people who has done this before in my acquaintances, but they did not for go IB, PE . They rather preferred a PM position at big tech
I stopped reading when he assumed we didn't know where Bangladesh was.
Well if you heard of it , then its really great for me. And I request you , especially , to resume reading the text and share your opinion .
It seems he doesn’t know where it is either considering that Bangladesh is South Asian not South East Asian…
Assuming you get into M7, you should have no problem getting looks from top shops for an associate role.
Really ? I mean arent the EBs and BBs , Pe obsessed with candidates who have worked at BBs straight out of school in NY office
If its true , great for me . Thanks buddy highly appreciate your reply
You are deluded. No other way around it. You are not even an undergrad yet, and you're already worried about post-MBA recruiting, exclusively and nothing else. I went to Harvard Business School. Many of the people who went into IB/PE are in my network and I know what they are like.
Firstly. The top university in Bangladesh is likely very competitive. BRAC EPL has 130 employees on linkedin. Most of them work in brokerage. I would assume maybe 5 people out of your 100 student class land a job there each year. What makes you think you will land a job there? You're not even in undergrad yet. And then your casual jump from Bangladesh IBD analyst to HBS, you're just deluded man. That just will not happen. There is absolutely no chance you get into HBS/Wharton after working at an M&A Boutique in Bangladesh for 5-6 years. I have never met anyone of any similarity to you who has. It's not just about checking some boxes. There are thousands of applicants with perfect gmat scores and great recs. That is not enough for you to stand out. You are deluded if you think otherwise. Finally, no private equity firm will want to hire you given your background. No pre-MBA PE and you only did M&A in a 3rd world country. You aren't going to get into HBS in the first place, so this shouldn't be too much of a concern. Centerview won't take you either just based on what they look for in their employees. Some BB's might.
edit: you wanna work in financial services in the USA? Go work at MBB.
Okay . So lets consider that I don't make it to HBS or Wharton . And I end up in Chicago Buainess scool , Columbia , or even Mccombs , Ross
Now what are the odds of myself landing a job for Associate position in IBD at BBs , EBs and even in private equity in NY office
lmfao
You are not getting M7 MBA. If you want M7 MBA, go work at MBB. However, for your information, all BB's and EB's recruit from some M7. You are not going to get private equity at all.
I'll bite even though I agree with the other commenters. Let's say you get into an M7 school. Congrats, every BB and EB recruits from M7. Your biggest problem will be whether or not they'll sponsor your visa and passing the interviews. If you get into M7, you have the opportunity to interview at most banks. MF PE is off the table for you, most PE is in general. You need PE experience before your MBA to get into PE after your MBA, and that comes from doing 2 years of IB.
You're not even in undergrad yet though. Do your best to get good grades, study, have fun, and get the best job in Bangladesh that you can. Also we all know what Bangladesh is and where it is.
Probably the most sensible replies so far . Thanks buddy !
But what is the primary reason I wont get into M7 business schools .
And it is great to hear that you guys are familiar with Bangladesh . Are you from the US or Asia ?
Your odds of hitting M7 are very low because you’re an over represented demographic for MBA recruiting (male, Indo-asian) with no real standout factor (from what you’ve told us).
Boutique M&A in Bangladesh will be a massive obstacle for you. Schools take quotas of consultants, bankers, engineers etc every year. You’re thus competing against bankers from top places such as GS and Evercore, so unless you’ve got some incredible experiences from your job (e.g, promoted 4 times in 2 years, single-handedly sourced and ran multiple deals as an mere analyst) you’re offering very little in this area.
Potential areas to stand out are in your GMAT and extra curricular activities. A 730 won’t be enough - 780? That might get you a few more glances. Do you have enormous volunteer experience? Are you an elite athlete? Have you made your own company and are currently looking at a series B funding round? Again, these are the kind of experiences that you’ll be competing against.
You’re dreaming big (and that’s great) but you also need to be honest and realistic with yourself.
There’s nothing wrong about having a big dream and planning things ahead. You should definitely shoot for M7. I think there’s a fair chance given how these business schools care about diversity. If you are one of the strongest candidates from Bangladesh that year, I think they’ll consider you very seriously. I think mbbs of the world don’t have their offices in Bangladesh, so if the regional boutique you mentioned is the top gig out there, make your way up there. Don’t listen to these naysayers.
Extremely helpful words of yours , cant express my gratitude into words .
But I wanted to know what are the technical issues for which I wouldn't make it to M7 business schools despite having high GMAT scores , recommendations and ECAs
I don’t think the technical difficulty is too high assuming you have high gmat and gpa. If they see you becoming a future top business leader in Bangladesh, the schools might think it’s a worthwhile bet to accept you rather than another one of thousands of bankers and consultants from the US they receive every year. Have a unique story and vision that incorporate your background and blend those well into your essays and interviews.
I grew up in Asia (went to undergrad in the US) and had to get my visa sponsored by my firm. Although it was tougher to get into IB as an international student because there are only handful of banks left that sponsor, I never had to disclose my nationality in any of my applications other than the fact that I need sponsorship (eventually had to for the onboarding, but that’s after I got accepted). So I’d assume your handicap is just as high as that of other international students from China, Japan, and Korea.
But do work on your English communication skills if English is not your native language. Banks tend to be less forgiving on that than schools.
First off; you’re not even an undergraduate student yet, but you’ve already assumed you’ll get your desired position at the top boutique in your country (which I assume is a highly coveted position).
You’re then looking years ahead and assuming your admission to HBS/Wharton and set on working for Goldman/CVP (not to mention NYC specifically).
I will chalk up the condescending nature of your post and subsequent comments/replies to your broken english, but please know that you might not get the responses you want to hear by doing so (wether it’s your language skills’ fault or not).
It can come across as an insult to some people on this forum who have had to grind to get into top schools, positions and M7 MBAs and even more of an insult to people from non-targets or extraneous circumstances like yours who got to similar positions with possibly even more hurdles. Although it might be the language issue, your arrogance justifies a response that’s meant to put you in your place.
With that aside, there’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. However, I can confidently say you’re too far out to be thinking about an MBA right now. Focus on getting the best grades/extra curriculars/whatever it is students do in Bangladesh to secure internships and FT roles at top places. Enjoy your time at university and don’t overthink things that COULD happen 6-7 years down the line that you, frankly, aren’t in the position to even consider are possible right now.
Btw everyone knows where Bangladesh is
Thanks buddy!
Jeez. These grown-ass men taking their shit out on a high school kid from Bangladesh... For some of you mba might be a choice you would make along the way down your career, but for kids like OP, it's probably the only way to get their feet in the door for Wall Street.
I was the VP who commented above. I understand man, I really do. I was born in South Asia and my dad faced similar odds to OP in immigrating to the U.S. with me. My post above was definitely a bit toxic, but I am empathetic to OP's situation. He's going to the top university in his Asian country of 160 million. He is likely smarter/a-harder-worker than most of the people in his thread. His only fault was being born in the wrong half of the world. But that doesn't change the fact that it is exceptionally difficult for someone in his position to get to HBS/Wharton. For the record, I did do my research before responding to this thread. The very few who did end up at an M7 MBA are almost exclusively all MBB, with some in product, or something similar to that. And he doesn't even know if he is going to be a top student at his school of the 400 smartest business students in Bangladesh, to land that initial M&A job. MBB do not have offices in Bangladesh, but that doesn't change the fact that they are his best option to get HBS/M7 MBA. I am trying to be honest and encouraging OP down a path that will lead to the goals he wants. I'm not going to stand by and encourage him on when I know the path he is on is not the best one he could be taking to achieve what he aspires to.
For the record OP, there are ~15. business schools which place well into BB IB. It's not Harvard/Wharton or bust. Furthermore, there are many nuances to investment banking firms and Goldman Sachs may arguably be one of the worst places to go for associate if you want to be a career banker. But don't worry about that, the point is, you will learn all about the best firms to work for during your MBA. Don't worry about it right now.
Thanks . You have been very informative, which I really appreciate.
Been done, not unheard of. I know a few at the BBs, we are def underrepresented. To break in, you really have to make it into a top MBA program, network your ass off, and have a solid story. There are aspects to advisory and investment banking in Bangladesh in general that make a very unique story and differentiate the experience, e.g., relationship building and managing the SEC, Bangladesh Bank etc., how roadshows are managed and deals executed that sort of thing. I won't say it's a shoe in but with a solid GMAT, good recs and a very well crafted story, let's just say you won't be at a disadvantage. I'll def say the doura douri and hustle involved is unparalleled, you have to make sure to capture that into a really really well crafted story.
Quite a few Bangladeshis have gone to HBS/Wharton etc. Backgrounds of those that I know of have generally been from IFC, the multinational banks (SCB/Citi/HSBC), mostly corporate banking and some credit folks and some of the more prominent asset managers (Race / LR Global).
Thanks buddy !
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