Got a SA Offer at BB...but I'm a current junior help!!
Okay so here it goes:
I'm a current student in the class of 2021 at a Target on the east coast. My sophomore year (2018-2019) I twiddled my fucking thumbs and missed everything IB and didn't recruit. Just did some research on campus instead. Fast forward to March 2020. I KNEW shit was getting bad with Covid. So I thought I would just recruit as if I was still a sophomore for a IBD SA position, and if I got it– I would take the year off so that I will start graduate in the 2021-2022 range. My question is, now that I have an offer in hand: How do I explain this to management when they ask "hey how's school going" this upcoming year that I'm not in school at all (or when the background check notices I'm not enrolled)? I didn't lie at any point, nobody asked me about it despite having stuff on my resume that indicates I've been here for three years.
Major questions:
1) Do banks really care if you are enrolled or not, as long as you graduate within the right frame (Fall 2021 or Spring 22)?
2)How would I explain the break? I'm currently looking for a job and covid fucking sucks, but is this grounds for a rescinded offer?
*Noting that my only desire is to take the calendar year off. I cannot afford to extend my studies by a semester because school is...expensive. I do not want to take only one semester off because if next academic year is normal, I want to be eligible for on campus housing the entire year.
I come from a poor background and worked my ass off for this and just need to figure out how to survive for 9 months. All I want is peace of mind that the bank won't take my offer away because i'm not technically a sophomore. Please help.
Best option would be to graduate fall 2021
So just take the spring semester off or fall? Would it look better or worse either way?
I have the ability to extend by a semester or year
could take less of a courseload one semester so u have some classes left for the fall semester of 2021 if you don't want to show a gap semester. You could also say financial reasons made you take a gap semester and just find an internship or something to keep you busy. This is how I was advised by people I networked with
Ah i see, do you happen to know when the background checks happen? I can definitely get an internship and have that be my excuse for taking time off.
That won't happen for a while I'm pretty sure but try to meet with an academic advisor and explain your plans as soon as possible to change your anticipated graduation date so you have your transcript ready when they request it
bump , interested in more opinions
Your resume would've said expected graduation in 2022 right? Key word: expected. Now, you can justify why you expected to graduated in 2022 however you want (within reason). Even if you just said you were, during recruiting, already planning to take a gap year I think that would be okay. Again, you never lied to the bank, you were indeed planning to graduate in 2022 - by tweaking your academic schedule, which no one asked you about.
Similar anecdote, BBs in HK often take masters students, so my friends in senior year would apply to summer programs, putting expected graduation in [1.5] years and justifying this during their interviews by saying "Oh I'm planning to do a masters degree". Note that at this point they haven't even applied yet. The banks take their word for it/don't care.
Either way, it's not a big deal - the bank likes you so they gave you an offer. Just explain why you had already planned to delay graduation when applying - and that's pretty easy to do with Covid these days.
Ah this is very helpful. You are correct that in all of my submitted resumes the Expected graduation date was in 2022. This anecdote is definitely comforting and I imagine if I have some sort of employment to show for it that'll help. SB
Yup, something like: I had this gig lined up/foresaw financial difficulty -> hence I was planning to take a gap year for it -> hence I expected to graduate in 2022 and applied for the sophomore role at the BB. And then show proof that you were working during your gap year
I did the same thing actually. No worries bro. Went to a top target but got interested in finance late, so I recruited the next year with a different graduation date. Got an EB/top BB offer, then just asked to do an extra semester. Can do whatever you want during the spring. The topic never even came up anyway
Take off one semester and go travel or do a cool internship
Travel would’ve been top of my list but alas Americans won’t be leaving the country any time soon....
Do a US road trip, lots to see in this country. Would be fun to do all the national parks or something like that. Also just having a good geographic knowledge of the US if you’re working on mostly US based companies doesn’t hurt.
Literally was in your shoes...worked at small place last summer, got offer, didn't want it, recruited late summer for BB, got it by writing "expected 2021" and then literally just haven't told them. No one's asked. Push comes to shove I'll say it was just some extra classes and ended up needing less than i thought i was going to and COVID online figured a waste blah blah.
In my experience, no one grilled me about it
Another friend of mine at a boutique did the same, came at the end of the summer and said "hey actually i can start FT now" and they liked him so they let him start in October. BB might be diff, too formal of a analyst class etc. but i know an analyst on my team and another friend who started in January bc they graduated early, so i assume u could do same when it comes to it
Maybe take less courses in Spring 2021 and focus on getting prepared technically for your SA position?
Yeah do part time classes, if needed you can say personal matters required you to focus some attention away from classes. It might be a little more expensive for tuition but if it will lead to a job you actually want it's prob very much worth it. If you aint scheming you aint trying - OP I like this move
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