Top BSchool for PE, GMAT Timing

Hi guys,

Two quick questions.

  1. What are the top business school's to go into PE? This would be for a candidate who did two years at a MM IB followed by two years at a MM PE firm. Which school's would give the best opportunity to join a top PE firm for both a summer internship and/or full-time employment upon graduation?

  2. Does when the GMAT was taken matter at all? Suppose I took the test in February of my senior year and scored above 750 and then I follow the above path, which means I would be applying to b-school ~ four years after taking the test. I know GMAT scores are good for five years, but would admissions frown upon this?

Thanks for all your assistance!

 

To go along with ramnde09's question:

Is going "Two years BB --> Top B-School --> Private Equity" considered to be pretty difficult? How relevant is having PE experience before getting an MBA if you hope to get into PE after your MBA?

Also, in PE would an MBA and an undergrad with banking experience start at different positions like they do in banking? To clarify, is the system similar to undergrads becoming analysts and MBAs becoming associates in banking?

 
banquer:
To go along with ramnde09's question:

Is going "Two years BB --> Top B-School --> Private Equity" considered to be pretty difficult? How relevant is having PE experience before getting an MBA if you hope to get into PE after your MBA?

Also, in PE would an MBA and an undergrad with banking experience start at different positions like they do in banking? To clarify, is the system similar to undergrads becoming analysts and MBAs becoming associates in banking?

1)Going directly from BB to business school will make attaining a post-MBA PE associate position nearly impossible, because most of the buy-side firms give offers to individuals with PE experience prior to business school. So it is EXTREMELY difficult.

2) An undergrad with no full-time banking experience starts off as an analyst. An undergrad with full-time banking experience starts off as a pre-MBA associate, while an MBA is a post-MBA associate.

 

1) H/S/W for b-schools in that order for PE/HF 2) Pre-MBA PE experience is not a pre-req for post MBA PE but having prior PE W/E does make it exponentially easier...i know of several people who went BB IB prior to b-school then big name buyside post b-school...disclaimer: this was during the 05, 06 boom years and competitiion is even harder in this environment

 

Thanks for the responses.

junkbondswap, suppose one does their two year IB analyst stint at a boutique (not an Evercore or Lazard). Then they go to a MM PE firm - not a top firm, but PE none-the-less. Then they go to an MBA business schools ">M7 b-school - not necessarily Harvard or Wharton, but say MIT. Is it common for someone from this background to get into a top-notch PE firm?

The reason I ask is because this is the path that looks closest to what I'll likely experience. Unless I somehow get lucky and land in a major PE fund from a MM IB.

 
Best Response

I would not say that it is common but it is possible. Top notch shops like KKR, TPG, BX generally recruit exclusively from H/S/W (check school recruiting stats and company websites). That does not mean that companies do not hire from Chi, Col, MIT etc. but the path is a bit more difficult. Depending on your roles and the skillset you acquire during your pre-MBA years you should be able to position yourself to at least get interviews at top PE shops out of a school like MIT but it will require networking and persistence. Make sure to expand your network while at your MM PE shop and during b-school.

 

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