Internship Conversion if Master's?

[bharhe]

I've secured an AM summer for 2024, but am planning to apply for master's programs at the end of the year (2025 start).
How do I navigate a return offer from the summer should I get one? I want a recommendation from my supervisor at the AM firm so I will put in my best effort, but how do I go about asking them for a recommendation when I won't be returning full time?
If I want a recommendation I will have to be completely transparent about wanting to get a master's degree, right? But what if I don't get into a good program, has anyone anecdotally navigated this?
Thank you in advance!

 

[MikeLawrence]

No idea, bump for exposure

 

[nhusv]

Hello

I think I was in a similar boat as you last summer. I had an internship and was intending to applying for an MFE program. Did my best in the internship and was able to get a return offer. Throughout the internship, they asked about my post summer plans where I pretty much said I wanted to do an MFE this spring. I was basically told to keep them posted with my application and if I didn't get in to keep in contact with them. So I guess the perspective I tried to have was that I was open to a return offer, but my main priority was to further my education with an MFE. I asked them for a letter of recommendation in the last week of my internship. Once I got in to my MFE program, they were excited for me and just told me to keep in touch. Not sure if that helps, but that was basically my experience with this.

 

[bharhe]

Hello

I think I was in a similar boat as you last summer. I had an internship and was intending to applying for an MFE program. Did my best in the internship and was able to get a return offer. Throughout the internship, they asked about my post summer plans where I pretty much said I wanted to do an MFE this spring. I was basically told to keep them posted with my application and if I didn't get in to keep in contact with them. So I guess the perspective I tried to have was that I was open to a return offer, but my main priority was to further my education with an MFE. I asked them for a letter of recommendation in the last week of my internship. Once I got in to my MFE program, they were excited for me and just told me to keep in touch. Not sure if that helps, but that was basically my experience with this.

This is so helpful, thank you! They seem like such great people haha. I'm a little worried that my firm might just sideline me and focus on the other (potential full time) interns if I tell them that I'm hoping to do a master's. Was this a concern for you?

 

[nhusv]

No problem! Happy to help in anyway I can. Yea honestly they were super awesome.

Maybe I was just being naive, but I wasn't really concerned about that. The way I was thinking they'd think about it is was, I wasn't closed off to the idea of working with them down the line (or if I didn't get into my MFE), so after I get my education, if things worked out, they'd get a more qualified candidate for the role afterwards that they already had some confidence could do the role. Also, I still felt I was still viewed as a potential full time hire for them since there was no guarantee I would get accepted to a program (especially since I only applied to one school which was probably not the smartest thing of me haha). Again, perhaps this perspective of mine is wrong, but this is just how I was viewing it.

Hopefully you like your internship and are able to say a similar thing so that you'd still be viewed as a potential full time hire. For a second, I did have some concern that perhaps my LOR wouldn't be super strong in case they wanted to try and keep me there, but honestly I needed their LOR, and was at least able to take solace in the fact that I did all I could and everything else was out of my control.

 

[redoctober]

I had a similar experience last summer. The bank I had been interning at for 16 months had given me a generic return offer (not to any of the specific teams I had worked in) for when I finish my last year of undergrad. I had to ask 2 of my managers for rec letters after they knew I had a return offer.

They supported my decision after I explained my reasoning and they said they’d write strong letters. I’ll have to notify HR I won’t be following through on the return offer as soon as I make a decision on which MFE program to join, but in the end it worked out.

I think if you spend your time in your internship also focusing on building a strong relationship with your internship manager, they’ll be glad to write you a LOR. People are often willing to help even if it means they don’t get anything in return assuming they genuinely like you.

 

[Arbitrary]

I've secured an AM summer for 2024, but am planning to apply for master's programs at the end of the year (2025 start).
How do I navigate a return offer from the summer should I get one? I want a recommendation from my supervisor at the AM firm so I will put in my best effort, but how do I go about asking them for a recommendation when I won't be returning full time?
If I want a recommendation I will have to be completely transparent about wanting to get a master's degree, right? But what if I don't get into a good program, has anyone anecdotally navigated this?
Thank you in advance!

I think most professionals are nicer than you might expect (at least from my own experience). Your higher-ups usually are happy for your development and want whats best for you, not to exploit you for their own needs. If you have a (somewhat) more personable relationship with your higher-up, it shouldn't be an issue asking for recommendation even if you reject their return offer. Just be genuine and communicate well that this is best for your personal developement.

 

[bharhe]

No problem! Happy to help in anyway I can. Yea honestly they were super awesome.

Maybe I was just being naive, but I wasn't really concerned about that. The way I was thinking they'd think about it is was, I wasn't closed off to the idea of working with them down the line (or if I didn't get into my MFE), so after I get my education, if things worked out, they'd get a more qualified candidate for the role afterwards that they already had some confidence could do the role. Also, I still felt I was still viewed as a potential full time hire for them since there was no guarantee I would get accepted to a program (especially since I only applied to one school which was probably not the smartest thing of me haha). Again, perhaps this perspective of mine is wrong, but this is just how I was viewing it.

Hopefully you like your internship and are able to say a similar thing so that you'd still be viewed as a potential full time hire. For a second, I did have some concern that perhaps my LOR wouldn't be super strong in case they wanted to try and keep me there, but honestly I needed their LOR, and was at least able to take solace in the fact that I did all I could and everything else was out of my control.

That makes a lot of sense, thank you! Also, super cool that you got into the one school you applied to. You must be incredible haha

 

[bharhe]

I had a similar experience last summer. The bank I had been interning at for 16 months had given me a generic return offer (not to any of the specific teams I had worked in) for when I finish my last year of undergrad. I had to ask 2 of my managers for rec letters after they knew I had a return offer.

They supported my decision after I explained my reasoning and they said they’d write strong letters. I’ll have to notify HR I won’t be following through on the return offer as soon as I make a decision on which MFE program to join, but in the end it worked out.

I think if you spend your time in your internship also focusing on building a strong relationship with your internship manager, they’ll be glad to write you a LOR. People are often willing to help even if it means they don’t get anything in return assuming they genuinely like you.

I hope you're right! I think i'm just going in with a worst-case scenario, hopefully they will be nice people

 

[bharhe]

I think most professionals are nicer than you might expect (at least from my own experience). Your higher-ups usually are happy for your development and want whats best for you, not to exploit you for their own needs. If you have a (somewhat) more personable relationship with your higher-up, it shouldn't be an issue asking for recommendation even if you reject their return offer. Just be genuine and communicate well that this is best for your personal developement.

Thanks! Would you recommend communicating the master's intention at the beginning or the end of the internship?