I'll be graduating this spring from Stanford's MS Finmath program. Prior to the program, I had 2 years experience in investment consulting. I'm hoping to land a s&t position with one of the bb banks after graduation. Not sure if I should apply for analyst or associate level positions. Could someone advise?Thanks

The job title you end up with will be a function of the organisation and the role. Different firms will give different names to the same job. I would apply for both and see which is more attractive. If you are seeing adverts fo Analyst and Associate roles at the same firm then read a little deeper in order to find out the difference. You could always call the firm (perhaps even giving a false name if you don't want to sound too dumb) in order to find out the difference. I woud expect that a Sales and Trading role is more likely to be called Associate rather than analyst. A junior analyst role (should you be able to find one) could be called either associate or analyst. Of course, Mr Spitzer could mean that the role of analyst (or at least one selling results to clients) will be taken away from the bb banks...

my observation has been of the following hierarchy : Analyst, Associate, Director, Executive Directo, Managing Director.hope that helps.

mschultz,I have to disagree with what is said above (or below? ). The bulge bracket banks are pretty consistent with what they call analyst and associate (in S&T and IB atleast). And the hierarchy is more commonly: analyst, associate, vp, principal (some places), md. But it doesn't sound like that is what you are asking anyway. You have the absolute minimum qualifications for an associate, which is usually 2 years work experience and an advanced degree. So you are qualified, but you will be competing against people with significantly more experience, which might be very tough in the present environment. It's really just a judgement call on your part. However I must admit that I am also an MFE student and I have no work experience, so I might not know what the hell I'm talking about .Just out of curiousity, what is your opinion of the Stanford program?

Piranha, that's exactly my problem - I have the absolute minimum requirements for associate positions. In this market, candidates with exceptional qualifications can't land an associate job, let alone guys like me. It seems I'm sort of no man's land....don't have a hope of landing an associate position, but probably overqualified for an analyst position. Not sure what other directions I should consider in the S&T world. Are the trading assistant positions offered by the options market makers (eg Susquehanna) worthwhile? I like the Stanford program. Some complain that it's overly theoretical. I have a feeling that the career resources are probably better for programs on the east coast simply because there's better access to firms in NY & Chicago. I think the big advantage of the program is the freedom to do what you want with the elective courses. Classes aren't restricted to Math & Stat...we can also take classes in GSB (MBA or PHD), Econ, Management Science, etc. Campus lifestyle is excellent.

Hi,I am considering the Stanford program and would like to know how hard it is to get into? From your experience what is the avg GPA and background of the students there? I have mid 3 GPA, 2200+ GRE and am writing the math test soon, I am wanting see what the standard of the entrants at Stanford is so that I decide whether I should bother applying or not.Any help you can give would be much appreciated.I have my private message box open as well..Thanks

I think you should ring up the HR (or whoever doing the hiring) and ask. Be v precise with what you want to apply in the application and don't let the HR make the decision (whether you should be an analyst or associate) for you. I had experience a few years back where some HR decided for invalid reasons I should be considered for associate programme (when I had no previous work experience), and did the transfer without informing me. They then turn me down effectively on the basis of guess what... underqualified (actually they said they decided on the transfer and 2 paragraphs within the same email later they said they had finished their associate recrutiment) - a long time after I first applied.

If you have 2 years of experience, then apply for associate position. I am sure you should manage to get that with some programming experience, and a stanford degree. Dont get into the ruts of an analyst man, you shall be the junior guy and undergrads from places like harvards could be your "senior". You may end up feeling disgusted at least for the first 6-7 months. Its all a game of negotiation. In fact, what I would say is work with a small firm, which is mainly research focussed and get 2 years of work experience, + clear CFA. Then you are hands down in for associate at one of the wall street firms.

I agree.I recently interviewed with GS for the analyst position. The VP's didnt treat very well, in fact they were very rude and even teh receptionist was mannerless. Everyone seemed to have an air of arrogance / superiority.I had a very disgusting feeling at the end.

The firms I've been with have had the following rankings - Analyst (grad/post grad - you even start on this if you have a PhD and no relevant experience)Associate (gained after 2-3 years relevant experience or for those with a good MBA or CFA)Assistant VPVP (there can be quite a few of these in a team)Senior or head VPMD

QuoteOriginally posted by: vbprogrammerI agree.I recently interviewed with GS for the analyst position. The VP's didnt treat very well, in fact they were very rude and even teh receptionist was mannerless. Everyone seemed to have an air of arrogance / superiority.I had a very disgusting feeling at the end.Sometimes, it is a way to see your attitude towards their attitude.

QuoteOriginally posted by: mschultzI'll be graduating this spring from Stanford's MS Finmath program. Prior to the program, I had 2 years experience in investment consulting. I'm hoping to land a s&t position with one of the bb banks after graduation. Not sure if I should apply for analyst or associate level positions. Could someone advise?ThanksIt depends on your 2 year experience. If you were working on big firm with analyst title already, I think it is alright to apply associate. The fact is that there are many MBAs with 4 years experience applying for associate as well....just base on your qualifications relative to your competitors to decide which program to apply.