WSO Success Stories

Topic	Replies	Created	Last reply
Please read in the <a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/wso-user-guidelines">WSO User Guidelines</a> in detail before posting to... WSO User Guidelines	0	44 weeks 3 days ago by WallStreetOasis.com	n/a
Since we've had so many of these lately, I thought we would start a forum dedicated to the success stories of WSO members to serve as a place where people can go to get inspired. What I actually did was get rid of the Entrepreneurial Forum since it had the least # of posts and technically... New Forum: WSO Success Stories	5	2 years 27 weeks ago by WallStreetOasis.com	2 years 11 weeks ago by OZNtrader
While dabbling around the "How many people on WSO actually Make It" post: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/how-many-people-on-wso-actually-make-it I started thinking, in my mere 22 weeks of lurking and posting here I gained at least 9 solid and VALUABLE connections along with 2... How Has WSO Affected Your Life?	35	3 days 4 hours ago by Lambie	3 hours 4 min ago by Bearcat
Adam Grant, who is the youngest tenured professor and single highest-rated teacher at The Wharton School, has an unconventional philosophy on what makes people successful. He says that the most successful people are givers, not "matchers" or "takers." I look at my own network... Wharton's most popular and youngest-tenured professor says the most successful people are Givers	14	4 days 9 hours ago by Valuestrat920	3 days 9 hours ago by ogofnyc
Here's an update to this thread: <a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/when-to-give-up">"When to Give Up"</a> [quote=kraziazi] Good luck; you should give us an update in a month or two with what you decided to do.</p>[/quote] I got... Update re: When to Give Up	35	1 week 20 hours ago by togepi	5 days 15 hours ago by Mulah
There are a couple different paths that you can take as with finance major: <ol> <li>Commercial Banking </li> <li>Corporate Finance</li> <li>Financial Planning </li> <li>Hedge Funds </li> <li>Insurance </li> ... What investment banking is in simple words and my story	77	5 weeks 3 days ago by Group Therapy	1 week 2 days ago by TOB2020
This is an absolute must read if you're from a non-target! I will try to detail out as much of my journey as I can. This post is kind of long overdue; however, I feel like it's better late than never. (Even if it's really poorly... Non-Target, Sub 3.5 GPA. FT BB IBD	15	1 year 21 weeks ago by GoW	1 week 3 days ago by Ambani
Got a SA offer. Here's the background... I go to a complete non-target Canadian university. Have a poor GPA (sub 3.0) due to personal/family things. I had some work experience with Canadian banks from summer jobs and whatnot, but nothing very relevant. I first realized that banking is... Another non-target (long) success story	18	1 year 15 weeks ago by thatsWACC	1 week 3 days ago by BrickSquadMonopoly
All, I've been reading WSO for quite a long time, but this is my first and perhaps my last serious post about myself. A bit about my background: I am a junior studying finance at a 200% Non-Target university (yes, there are baby sitting positions on my school's career site,... Non-Target, Cold e-mailing to Multiple BB / MM SA Offers -- Yes it can be Done!	41	1 year 13 weeks ago by Whiskey5	1 week 5 days ago by BigTalkinWalker
Hello all... I never made an account, but I've read a lot of these forum posts, and they too have made me a more motivated person. Hearing the success stories are great. I, too, have a success story, albeit it'll be different like all the other stories, but we all the same ending; we... I made it.. You can make it too!	10	1 week 6 days ago by imaboutmymoney	1 week 5 days ago by seabird
***FIRST: This is long so I'll put the cart before the horse real quick: THANK YOU WSO. To everyone who's posted insider knowledge, "day in the life" shit, interview guides, models, any feedback in general--you have provided knowledge that tuition can't pay for. I... From "Poor Me" to BB	25	3 weeks 1 day ago by clomeo4655	2 weeks 1 day ago by Sephyre
I joined the Big Four out of college. I wound up in the CRE valuation/advisory group. Finding a job had been difficult for me. I knew that I wanted to be in finance, but I was a dumb college kid and had no focus. I figured this job could be a springboard.... Broke in from the Big Four	28	40 weeks 8 hours ago by tyrone slothrop	2 weeks 3 days ago by jamil.ak52
Hey guys, So I'm finally twenty, and I feel like I've come a long way since slipping out of the birth canal and whatnot. Over time, I've learned several crucial things about humanity that... well, that I hope to impart to my son, someday. I think that I've managed to... Life Lessons	39	3 weeks 3 days ago by Mitt Romney	2 weeks 4 days ago by Beny23
I have learned so much from WSO, so I just wanted to pop in give my success story, to hopefully encourage some fellow students to keep on trucking and develop good habits. <em><strong>TL;DR:</strong> I fostered a networking relationship outside the bounds of "what can... It's all about the follow up!	18	12 weeks 2 days ago by ans2389	3 weeks 13 hours ago by Alamanach
About to graduate from top tier school. Got a gig in credit risk at BB, plan on doing it for 2 years. After that I'm thinking about the USMC for 4 years. Then, a top 5 b-school. What do you guys think about USMC? Or, instead, should I just stick to business like consulting after BB... United States Marine Corps.	5	9 weeks 2 days ago by OutsideMan	3 weeks 2 days ago by holla_back
Hey, I go to a non target, pretty crappy state school, IMO. I have been networking like crazy for the past year and I have finally landed the job. After hundreds of phone calls and emails, it finally happened. I emailed the founder of the company. He's a pretty well known guy in the industry... My decent "ballsy" email that landed me a job	21	4 weeks 1 day ago by ngh09c	3 weeks 2 days ago by D M
... Forego Security Deposit at Tuck for Wharton?	7	6 weeks 5 days ago by johnkassebaum	4 weeks 2 days ago by ngh09c
<em>Mod note (Andy): this was originally posted on 8/15/12</em> Hello fellow monkeys, I wanted to take some time to write this because I definitely owe it to this community. Last week, I was given a verbal offer to work in Equity Research full-time, at a well-known bank, covering... Unbelievable! Detailed WSO Success Story: How I Broke into Equity Research	105	26 weeks 6 days ago by erwannabe	4 weeks 3 days ago by TheTwoHacker
Hey all (apologize for long post but its been a long journey)- I've been waiting over a year and a half now to post this, and glad I can now. This thread is here to share my journey w/others, free to answer questions if you have and just showing those junior monkeys that dont get BB or MM... FINALLY! GOT IT- TOP MM FT OFFER- THANK YOU WSO	16	22 weeks 12 hours ago by AnalystMonkey2769	4 weeks 3 days ago by TheTwoHacker
After a couple years reading the site, I managed to land a summer internship at a BB, and received an offer to come back full-time. Coming from a non-target, the information I got here was invaluable and helped me stay motivated despite the seemingly endless superdays and rejection phone calls.... Got an FT offer, thank you WSO	22	1 year 33 weeks ago by ihatetennis12	4 weeks 4 days ago by Xeneizes10
I will prob be banned soon bc I got my final warning it was nice knowing you all... Wallstreetoasis is about to ban me :(	20	5 weeks 4 days ago by blastoise	5 weeks 4 days ago by Amphipathic
Just wanted to say a general thank-you to everyone who contributes to this site. I've learned a lot and continue to learn more through further research. I landed an Ops internship this summer with a BB firm. I know it's not as sexy as FO positions but it's a start. Being a junior... Thanks guys	13	6 weeks 1 hour ago by alargefox	5 weeks 5 days ago by alargefox
<em>Mod Note: bumping this thread from November 2006 up top to the forums for new members who haven't seen it. Great story from one of our top members. </em> So I'm new here and spent a good deal of time reading all of the posts from the past few weeks. I thought I would... How I got into Banking	98	6 years 24 weeks ago by CompBanker	6 weeks 2 days ago by CompBanker
Consider two situations: a) Your parents have 8 figure net worth b) Same as A, but they build their wealth from being serial entrepreneurs Assume that parents are willing to invest/support you if you offer sensible business/investment opportunities. Also, they would be willing to mentor you... If you had rich parents, would that change your career plans?	65	18 weeks 1 day ago by BradyisnotMVP	6 weeks 5 days ago by NGW
With recruiting winding down or virtually over and the recent influx of posts from people who are down on luck I've decided to write a story of two people in my family who "made it" from an extremely unlikely place. The purpose of this post is to encourage people to keep... Nontarget to BSD: Two Stories	12	7 weeks 2 days ago by Vi	7 weeks 18 hours ago by dnv05

Forum Topics

http://blogs.hbr.org/fox/2013/05/just-how-useless-is-the-asset-.html Thoughts on this? Professors have been basically telling me to put my money in index funds. I think that one of asset management's roles is to pretty much make the markets more efficient through the...
Just How Useless is the Asset-Management Industry? - HBR
Hi guys, I've been accepted to the schools listed above as a sophomore transfer student. I currently attend a semi-target public school and am looking to break into BB IB and eventually PE in east asia. I will be interning at a boutique ibank this summer and has done BB PWM during the school...
Penn(CAS) vs Brown vs Northwestern
Currently I am a Personal Banker for Bank of America and I run my own online investment website. I also am finishing up my economics degree at San Francisco State. I want to get into wealth management or hedge funds. Any career advice on what I should...
Career Advice for Personal Banker Looking to Get Into Corporate Finance
What do you think would be the range of reasonable success fees in the following cases of a sale of a company (which transaction would be very very straightforward and not involve much due diligence at all)? -acquisition price of $20 mil? -acquisition price of $40 mil? -acquisition price of $60...
Reasonable success fee (for sale of business) paid by seller to investment banker?
I just started working in a company that trade across the barrel. Would like to ask any experience oil trader/operator which stream of oil is the most knowledge intensive in terms of operational aspect (e.g....
Physical Oil Trading Operational Knowledge
So far this summer I have been a SA for a boutique investment bank here in NYC - midtown. Its not too small, and isn't regional. Has international exposure, deal size I would say is not too small, but not too big. I am a Sophomore in undergrad by the way. So in that aspect, I did not expect to...
SA? More like BB (Banker Bitch) - Help
I was reading some advice somewhere on dress for Wall Street interns, and it said stick to white or light blue for your dress shirts. Are other colors generally not acceptable? Does it make a difference whether it's business casual or business...
Is it true that you should stick to only white or light blue for dress shirts?
Hi guys, I have been lurking here for a bit and i decided to give it a try and ask something specific to my situation. I am an Economics major at a ( what I assume from what I've read so far) non target university... I also know that liberal arts degrees 'get shit on a lot' and...
Noob here...completely clueless
So I am a Master of Accountancy at a semi-target school and got a 650 on the GMAT. If I end up getting an MBA later on I plan on taking it again, but as far as now concerned would putting a GMAT score of 650 on my resume help me or hurt...
650 GMAT score too low to put on resume?
If you are good at ER or have modeling expertise-please help me with this: I'm an undergrad and I'm currently building a model, in which I am breaking revenues, operating profits, and ebitda down by segment. There are 4 main segments to the company. i've grabbed the data from...
Please Help
Hey guys, I just got moved to the second round interview at VC firm for a summer internship. I got an email saying that this won't be a test of my VC knowledge, but skills that will add value to the portfolio companies. I'm a sophomore engineer with no prior finance experience. Can...
2nd round interview coming up, what to expect?
Hi All, I'm attempting to break into the financial industry, but want to know if it's worth it, as I do have a minor criminal history. In 2010, I was convicted of 1 misdemeanor- fraud which amounted in the loss of $100. At the time of the crime, I was 19 years of age. I was sentenced...
Applications for licensing
How strict is the requirement for 6 month+ experience with job postings? I have about a years worth of internship experience in IB and PE and just wanted to know if these experienced positions are worth my time? Are BBs strict? what about MMs? obviously small boutiques will be...
6 months - 1 year exp
Recently my oncologist told me I wasn't in remission and honestly all I could think about is what that means for my chance at any summer internships. I'm barely above a 3.0 and have no finance related work experience with a little over a year to graduate left. Anyone got some good...
What was the low point of your career?

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I used to work with a guy that had everything on the surface, but absolutely nothing inside. The guy was 6 feet tall, good-looking, charismatic, multi-lingual, graduated from a top business school, and had made MD at a bulge bracket investment bank. Yet he couldn’t remember the last time he... How to Develop a Personality
<em>Mod note (Andy): we vetted this user to confirm his identity/status and yes in fact he is who he says he is, and is eager to answer your questions :)</em> Bio: I decided to join WSO to help both students and young professionals advance in their Finance careers, whether that be... I'm an MD and I run the Sales division: Ask Me Anything
<em>Mod note: "Blast from the past - Best of Eddie" - This one is originally from March 2011 .</em> That handsome guy to the left is my boy Hudson. As you can probably tell, he's a pretty cool customer. We rescued him after Hurricane Katrina, and he'd been... 5 Things a Dog Can Teach You About Trading
For better or for worse, there’s a very unique feeling when everything goes completely according to plan yet nobody seems to care or notice. Such is the case with our favorite company of the moment, Tesla Motors. For those unaware, TSLA has rocketed upwards since its Q1 earnings release,... A Perfect Storm
I'm currently a Private Equity Analyst in Shanghai, China. Academically, I graduated from a target school majoring in Economics and Chinese. I also spent my time at college as the president of an on-campus student organization related to Finance and Economics and a volunteer for a local... Ask me anything… I'm a Private Equity Analyst in Shanghai
You've just gotten that promotion and now you're in charge of a small team. Congratulations! And welcome to middle management. All the hard work and the knowledge you've developed about everything your firm does these past few years has been noticed. But, now you have a small... 7 Things I've Learned About Being A Manager
Assuming that you have access to no financial products such as FactSet, Bloomberg, CapitalIQ, Thomson or otherwise, thought it would be helpful to give a step by step guide on how to ramp up on a new company from your home computer. Using FaceBook as an example. Lets go ahead and start with the... Basic Guide Ramping Up On A Company With Public Information (Part 1 of 3)
Fellow Primates, We are looking for 1-2 students on each campus to help WSO in its sales efforts to student clubs/career centers, and overall promotion at your school both online and on the ground. Below is a description of the position and benefits...thanks in advance for your help! <a... WSO is Looking for Campus Reps For Summer/Fall 2013 (and beyond)
<em>“You know, In The Flesh,”</em> a WSO monkey told me at a recent Happy Hour, <em>“that gentleman’s book is the real deal. I ordered that shit on Amazon as soon as I read your review. It’s so right, man. I want to be like that: keep my word, honor my commitments, be... Being A Gentleman, Revisited
As has been the case for much of the last two years, the Apple earnings report on April 24, 2013 was a media event, previewed endlessly on investment sites, covered heavily by the media and tweeted about by both Apple fans and foes. While I try to stay away from the hype around earnings reports,... Apple: News, Noise and Value

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