Tips for: LSE MSc Finance-->IBD SA. Should I go for a third internship in M&A??
Alright guys, I need advice to secure an IBD internship for next summer and I need tips. I am going to give you some relevant info regarding my profile and will pose some questions later.
ACADEMIA
Incoming LSE MSc Finance student.
Graduated non-Bocconi italian school as top of the class (30.2/30 GPA)
President and founder of the biggest fin (M&A) association at my school. Spoke with a bunch of bankers and PE guys.
OK-ish GMAT 700
PROFESSIONAL
3-month M&A internship in a boutique in Milan
4-month M&A internship at big4
Real estate "entrepreneur". Profitable start-up with decent revenue.
OTHER STUFF
Finished "Wall Street Prep" premium course. I loved it. Can now forecast 3-statement models and can perform DCFs accurately and so on.
I already started preparing my technicals and started doing some outreach to bankers in top BBs/EBs. Have some interesting coffee chats coming up in next weeks.
My internship at big 4 will end in May but my Master at LSE will start in September.
So my questions are: What should I do in these 4 months? Should I try and gun for a 4 month-ish internship somewhere? Perhaps BB off-cycle? Do I have already enough exp to aim for top tier BBs/EBs next summer? In general, what do you guys think I should do? Thanks in advance
Bump
Second it
well its either that or some PE type internship. what else do you think you'd be able to do that would help your application? whilst its solid versus UK applicants, i always see continentals who enter UK market (atleast in past) have like 2-3 x 6 months off cycle internships at top banks like Rothschilds, Credit Agricole, BNP etc (well, not "top top" but better than big 4 / random boutique) - these are the people youll likely be competing against.
so yes, if you can? do it. if you cant? no point doing audit or some random stuff imo. might as well chill and do something fun that would make you more interesting in interviews.
also im sure you will get questions as to why you arent "continuing your real estate entrepreneurship" / "will this conflict with working 100 hours in IBD" so perhaps have an exit (but dont make it sound like a $20k LBO by your mum) or ensure it is automated / run by manager and hands off just recurring revenue in your pocket.
Thanks for the comment! Usually italians who break into IBD London do not have a bunch of M&A undergrad experience, given how hard it is to get internships here, but I 100% agree with you. Finding an internship in a more prestigious institution would be a game changer. A PE internship in a small fund in LDN would be helpful?
I would say do your best. Not sure how the market is gonna be like in 2024 recruiting season but def better than 2023. Apply to as many firms as you can. If u aim for BB, make sure to prepare the OT and VI stuff beforehand since that is more important in UK. Like technicals are important, but UK IBD is super competitive and a lot of times u never know how they select ppl for interviews. So first try to get as many interviews u can by crashing all of those pre-selection stuffs. It sounds easy (OT VI) but once with volume up ( u wanna make sure to apply as many to improve the chance of getting itws) , it would be tough. And LSE finance coursework is not that chill compared to LBS. Luck also plays greatly in the game.
Could I PM you?
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