<p>Question for the forum: Is it possible (yes, I realize it will be a harder) to break into I-banking and land a job as an associate post-MBA but without any prior experience, and with a liberal arts degree? I am a Political Science and International Studies dual major at OSU (Not Ivy League, I know) with a 3.9GPA, I hope to graduate summa cum laude next year. If I took a job in the military or in politics for 4-5 years, and then got an MBA in finance,(with a high GMAT and a decent MBA school), could I skip over the analyst position and jump straight into being an Investment Banker Associate? Or is there little hope with no prior financial experience and a liberal arts degree?</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. Yeah, I will probably do 4-5 years of military service. If I don’t get into a top 5 school though like you mentioned, but say rather a top 25, can I still have a shot? I realize I might not be recruited to wall street right out of MBA school, but I would think that local ibanks would still consider me (i.e., Houston/Dallas if I went to UT Austin, Chicago if I went to U of Illinois, etc.)</p>
<p>Thats weird…did someone delete their post between my first and second posts? Oh well. Anyone else who can chime in, I’d appreciate it! Thanks.</p>
<p>I just sent you a post giving you an overview of what to do and your chances. To summarize, you can definitely break into IB after earning an MBA without prior IB experience. In order to increase your chances, however, you should go to a good school (Top 15 or so and recruited by at least some BBs or regional IBs, if not better), network and join the IB-type clubs.</p>
<p>IBanker</p>
<p>Thanks for your PM, I sent you one more back. Anyone else planning on doing I-banking with a non-traditional path or have successfully done so?</p>