Comments on: 5 Ways Business School Can Ruin Your Life – and What to Do About It

By: M&I - Brian

M&I - Brian — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 18:28:20 +0000

In reply to WinterFall. If you're already at the VP level, I don't think an MBA will add any value in moving to IB credit / originations or advancing to MD. And I can't imagine that any large bank would say, "Sorry, you don't have an MBA, you can't get promoted." So I would not bother with an MBA at all in this case.

By: WinterFall

WinterFall — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 05:58:19 +0000

Hello,
I graduated undergrad from a top 25 school with a degree in Finance. I started my career with one of the Big 4 banks (for avoidance of doubt: JPM, BofA, WF, Citi) as a Corporate Banking Analyst. I am now a VP at a second tier investment bank in their risk management group and I’m looking to move internally to IB Credit and then IB Originations. Other people who were in my current group have managed to make the move so I have a very good shot at doing so. But my question is: Will not getting an MBA cost me from moving up to the MD level in IB or in private equity or private debt in general. Thanks!

By: M&I - Brian

M&I - Brian — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 16:05:30 +0000

In reply to ivnat. The biggest problem is that you're in India, which is an extremely non-ideal place to start a career in IB/HF/related roles. Getting an MBA might make sense if you were in the U.S. or Europe or could move there. I wouldn't bother if you want to stay in India because most banks recruit for "real" IB roles only from the top 2 IIMs, and outside of that, you usually have to target boutiques.

By: ivnat

ivnat — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 17:15:38 +0000

hi! ive a PharmD + 2.5ish years of experience (27 y/o) in market access, recently switched to an expert network firm on their client operations team interacting with public equity entities to conduct their research/due diligence on healthcare at large. im noticing the impact of my work by keeping abreast with trial results, stock prices etc

this has me interested in HFs and IB, im wondering if an MBA help me break into the sector? (considering ive a location disadvantage wrt india where not a lot of boutique firms/healthcare specific hedge funds exist). should i couple it with a CFA? if yes, ideally, what should i target getting first out of the two?

p.s – ive combed through most articles on your website on healthcare IB/biotech ER etc. love the content! extremely insightful! thank you!

By: M&I - Brian

M&I - Brian — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 01:30:26 +0000

In reply to Bob. They help, but if the rest of your profile looks good, you don't necessarily need amazing activities to get in.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:31:18 +0000

How important are post-grad extracurricular activities for MBA admissions? I’m considering applying for business school but it’s tough to find time to do much outside of work while working in IB/PE.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 22:47:13 +0000

In reply to M&I – Brian.

Thanks Brian, I read your other article on MBA recruiting and the advice was to leave GPA off at that stage. Generally, when do you think is an appropriate time to take GPA off resume?

My undergrad was in the 3.0-3.3 range but MSF was 3.8+ and EMBA was strong as well.

By: M&I - Brian

M&I - Brian — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:32:32 +0000

In reply to Jake. They will still be factors to some extent, but grad school performance and work experience will matter a lot more. But yes, if you interview with someone who's exactly the same as you but who has a higher undergrad GPA or SAT score, theoretically, they could hurt you at that stage (this scenario is unlikely).

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 16:56:44 +0000

If I already have a number of years of IB experience as well as an MSF and EMBA from top schools, how much would undergrad GPA and SAT scores factor in at that point (post-EMBA)? Would they still be liabilities to consider or would grad school performance and work experience matter solely? Thanks

By: M&I - Brian

M&I - Brian — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 17:39:38 +0000

In reply to Abubakar I Shehu. I know nothing about the career paths into central banks, sorry. I can't say whether or not business school would be helpful in this case without knowing your previous background and experience (and also knowing what central banks are looking for).