Path To PE from LDPs

Hello all,

Over the past year, I interviewed for various consulting firms and corporate finance roles. During recruitment, I was able to secure offers from boutique consulting firms and some larger corporate positions. My original goal was to go MBB but was unable to get to second round. As a result, I ended up in a top LDP . While it wasn't my first choice, I figured it was a better option than some of the smaller consulting firms. Ultimately, I want to get into P/E as of now.

As some background:
-Incoming Analyst at LDP (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, GE)
-3.75/4.0 Undergraduate GPA ie: Virgina Tech, Clemson, Wakeforest)
-2 Fortune 25 Corporate Finance Internships
-Expected GMAT-650-680

My current school of thought was 2-3 years in LDP > business school > IB > PE, but this was solely from browsing older forums. Does anyone have any experience exiting development programs and what to expect for a career path? In addition, is an MBA a necessary step or are there other ways around it?

Cheers