need some advice regarding Bridgewater Associates and hedge funds in general
Hi guys....second post here. I've read quite a few topics, but have remained an anonymous poster for the past couple months. Thought I'd finally make an account and would appreciate any advice I could get. I'd really like to apply and hopefully land a summer internship as an Investment Associate at Bridgewater Associates for summer 2013. I'm an undergraduate business student at a non-target school. I was wondering if there are any ex or current employees at Bridgewater or anyone knowledgeable in this subject who wouldn't mind sending me a PM or posting any advice you could offer as to how to apply and make myself competitive against the Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Dartmouth/Brown kids that Bridgewater typically targets.
I don't mean for this to a brag-fest and especially since I have no idea any of this will stack up against what Bridgewater is looking for. I thought I'd post it for anyone who can take the following into account when sharing any advice. So, here is some of my experience/accolades that I think could potentially set me apart...aside from being an business major, I've also won several entrepreneurial competitions. I almost went to work in Israel over the summer (ended up on the waitlist) but ended up doing the another internship instead. As for investments, I manage some money for my parents and friends (around $350,000) employing mostly a value investment philosophy in mostly equities, annualized average return over 3 years is around 22%, and YTD is 44% (and this is after about 35% of the portfolio hasn't moved at all lol yikes). In my personal account, I do a little more trading with volatility futures and naked options, etc. though.
With all this in mind, does anyone here have any comments/advice regarding Bridgewater or other opportunities I should pursue? I'm a very driven person (as you can probably tell from the previous paragraph) with a somewhat broad range of experiences, but mostly all driven by my entrepreneurial (i hate this word, so overused but I've actually done stuff that can back this up lol) nature. I'm also humble and very open to learning. I know I have much to learn, and I'm really excited to get into the industry.
Any thoughts/comments/advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not sure why you're so intent on getting a position at Bridgewater. You should read about their interviewing process and culture.
Also, learn to write more succinctly.
Great queston....I am familiar with how their interview process goes from reading plenty online/via glassdoor.com, as well as the culture...both the good and the bad. I think it's definitely an interesting place and would push me really hard. Also, do you know of any other hedge funds that hire undergraduates? lol(besides DE Shaw, but I'm not interested in quant stuff at all)
As for writing succinctly, I was literally just dumping all my thoughts out so that everything could be captured, since no one here knows my background. My apologies.
As far as I know, Bridgewater does not recruit with us.
If Bridgewater recruiting at your school makes it a target, that probably means there are like...3-5 target schools only. And from what I know, Bridgewater actually does recruit at Michigan (although it's through a recruiter/headhunter) as I know a couple kids who have interviewed there.
Did you just say Michigan was a non-target?
This, plus 4.) Lean to write more succinctly
.
Your ECs and background are practically irrelevant to Bwater. I go to one of the schools you listed, and Bwater consistently accepts kids who don't even see the light of day at bulge brackets. They care a lot about inquisitiveness, argumentation, communication skills, etc. Read up on their interview process, as it is very different from the other bank / hf interviews.
CallThatBond, thanks for your reply. I've spent hours reading online what their interview process is like...I realize it's not typical at all. However, I'm hoping that my ECs/background from the resume will get me in the door for an interview, and then I'll see how things go from there.
Yup, I'm aiming for an internship for summer 2013 right now.
How come no one ever mentions Stanford in the list of targets? I feel like a neglected child.
On a more serious note though, Bwater is a good thing to have on your resume, but not that great as a FT job. Try swinging an internship there.
So just a quick update, I had contacted the Ross recruiting center....they have no record of any Bridgewater recruiter's info in their database. So....I'm not sure what the posters above were referring to when mentioning that they knew Michigan students who got in touch via a recruiter. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
UMich Engineering is really strong; top 10 if not top 5. Don't know why you think that will hold you back.
Hi GS, I agree/appreciate you pointing that out. I just wasn't sure how the "finance" guys viewed an engineering major, as opposed to someone with an econ or BBA/finance background.
Correct me if im wrong, but Bridgewater places very little emphasis on your background... Also I dont think they have any fundamental L/S or Value or Event-Driven equities strategy?
The LastCall, why do you think the exit opps suck?
Can anyone recommend some asset management places that offer summer internships (I'm assuming Blackrock is one of them?)? Would that be a good route to start out in as well?
Dude u need to apply to anything and everything. You're not as strong a candidate as u think u r. Apply everywhere to almost every position. Kill every interview and choose from the few offers u do actually get.
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