2-year master's at Bocconi vs full-time

Hi,


I am getting my bachelor's degree this summer and I am unsure about how to proceed going forward. My long-term goal is to end up in M&A or TMT at GS/MS in London, or at a PE MF.


Currently, my profile is as follows:

  • Will conduct M&A/ECM off-cycle internship this spring at a large European regional bank

  • Will conduct summer internship at a corporate venture capital fund focusing on tech (artificial intelligence and battery technology)

  • Exchange semester at Bocconi with near-perfect GPA

  • Bachelor's degree from unknown (top 5 in a small European country) university with 3,75/4,0 GPA. 

  • 2.5 years work experience during studies (sales/advisory role in insurance)



I have been admitted to the master's in finance at Bocconi and also received a merit scholarship, which gives me a full tuition waiver. Going to Bocconi would allow me to do a few more internships before I graduate, get the Bocconi brand name on my resume, and gain a network of like-minded students from a top-tier school. However, it's also 2 years that could be spent making money and getting work experience. Therefore, I am considering 2 questions. 

  1. I consider the probability of getting full-time at MS/GS with my current resume to be extremely small. Is this assessment correct? 

  2. How large are the long-term consequences of not having done a master's and missing out on the Bocconi brand name?


I would be very thankful for any input! 

 

Your chance of getting full time at MS/GS with a perfect resume is still extremely small. Their FT programs for London take almost no people, so yeah, you are much better off getting your masters and then applying for SA positions.

However, I would relax your goals of going to MS M&A or GS TMT. London recruiting isn't group specific and the chances of you being placed in either of these groups even if you get offers from both firms are small. 

This post seems a bit like the I want to work at The Goldman Sachs vid, so chill, there are a lot of good firms it isn't very smart to just focus on 2.

 

Thanks for the advice! 

My desire of going to GS/MS is purely a matter of prestige and brand name. I think you are fully correct since pay, exit opportunities, and experience is likely to be similar no matter which bank I end up at. The choice of TMT is because I find TMT very interesting and I would love to work at a VC/PE fund focused on tech down the road. However, those options might still be open even if I end up in a coverage group that isn't TMT and exit early? 

 

Animi fuga veritatis deleniti consequuntur qui. Libero repudiandae quia minus quas magni quidem ut enim. Voluptatem vel quibusdam velit ea quidem ullam. Rerum aliquam amet culpa earum exercitationem ex.

Eligendi consectetur amet animi ducimus ipsam architecto. Amet nemo enim qui nemo eveniet eum et sapiente. Asperiores libero voluptates dolore temporibus. Quia magni id voluptates eos.

Quos eum nemo repellendus dolore. Vel consectetur fugiat vitae necessitatibus. Sit distinctio nemo porro sed deleniti. Beatae consequatur quas assumenda est alias dolores corrupti quas. Repellendus quia rerum hic accusantium atque. Possimus nihil nam vel doloribus ea. Et nam recusandae iure dolores dolores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. 25 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”