If you don’t get a return offer in finance, is a 1-year master’s worth it

Hi everyone,

I’m a junior at a top public university majoring in Statistics and Economics. This summer I’ll be doing a capital markets role at a large financial institution.

Return offers in these roles seem fairly common, but the firm is going through a lot of changes right now so I’m not sure what to expect.

If I don’t get a return offer, I’m unsure what the best path is. My parents think I should do a one year Master’s in Statistics at my school (admission would basically be guaranteed) and recruit again for internships. The alternative would be recruiting for full time roles right after undergrad.

I’ve heard many full time finance roles get filled through return offers, but also that finance doesn’t recruit that heavily from master’s programs.

If I don’t get the return offer, am I better off recruiting broadly for full time roles right away or doing the master’s and trying for internships again?

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.