Wall Street Oasis logo

  • Recent
    • All Recent Content
    • My Recent Posts
    • My Bookmarks
    • WSO Chat Room
    • Top WSO Bloggers
    • Hot Topics - Week
    • Hot Topics - Month
    • Hot Topics - Year
    • Hot Topics - All Time
  • Forums
    • Post Forum Topic
    • Highest Ranked Posts
    • Most Commented
    • WSO Chat Room
    • Job Search Advice
    • Investment Banking
    • Private Equity
    • Venture Capital
    • Trading
    • Consulting
    • Hedge Funds
    • Corporate Finance
    • Equity Research
    • Asset Management
    • WSO Success Stories
    • Other Careers
    • Business School
    • Resume Forum
    • Wall St. Fashion
    • Wall St. Mentors
    • Monkey Around
    • Monkey Marketplace
    • Site Suggestions
  • Groups
    • Browse Groups
    • Create Group
    • My Groups
  • FAQs
    • FAQs
    • WSO Company Database
    • WSO Finance Dictionary
    • About WSO
    • Press
    • Contact Us
    • RSS Sitemap
    • Advertise on WSO
  • Events
  • Login
  • Sign Up!
  • Company
    Research
  • Modeling
  • Mentors
  • Video
    Library
  • Interview
    Guides
  • Job Board
  • Resume
    Review
  • Discounts

WSO Success Stories
Post new topic
Syndicate content

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
 TopicRepliesCreatedLast replysort icon
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
51 year 28 weeks ago
by WallStreetOasis.com
1 year 11 weeks ago
by OZNtrader
A week or two ago there was an article written about how your weight might inversely effect you during the hiring process. During the conversation I dropped some personal information about me losing 130 (now 135 pounds). I was PM’d by somebody asking me to tell my story. Well I have some free...
How finance saved and gave me a life
394 days 15 hours ago
by paulydreamer
14 hours 58 min ago
by UFOinsider
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!
3214 weeks 1 day ago
by Whiskey5
21 hours 19 min ago
by Wegener
Here's my story: I will be graduating this semester from a non-target university, majoring finance and accounting, with a decent gpa (3.5 up). I started networking last summer, searching for that IBD full time offer. I was even considering delaying my graduation for one semester with the...
Full Time Offer, at last! Thanks WSO!
361 week 1 day ago
by mapr89
3 days 22 hours ago
by lone star state
This might be a little long so bare with me..its early in the morning, I go to a completely non-target school where we get little B.O recruiting and pretty much all sort of management programs from Enterprise to Toysrus and Target. I went into my non-target school as a marketing major but was...
Non-Target breaks into IB
84 days 6 hours ago
by TheKid1
3 days 23 hours ago
by TheKid1
This site has really been an amazing help along my career path and I felt that it was necessary to try and give back to the community and hopefully give some hope to the fellow non targets out there that are trying to break in. I also wanted to thank everyone on this site who have been extremely...
Non Target Success Story: MBB Summer Intern
211 week 5 days ago
by Timmy
6 days 13 hours ago
by petergibbons
Not a BB success story - but i think I made out well: I came from a VERY non-target state school, accepted because I was offered full ride based on SAT scores, seemed a good idea at the time. Always wanted to break into finance (VC in particular) but I had NO IDEA the pedigree problem that...
Non Target to FT PE Advisory and Fundraising - Boutique
82 weeks 5 days ago
by neilol
1 week 13 hours ago
by Viktri
I just wanted to thank this community for the wealth of free advice that actually does exist on this site. Coming from a non-target and an under-represented US geography, I started at a boutique advisory shop where the experience I was getting was only loosely relevant to what my peers at more name...
Thanks, WSO
115 weeks 1 day ago
by JulianWells
2 weeks 5 days ago
by SonnyZH
Been waiting literally 1-2 years now to make a post like this. Finally landed a FT offer with a solid VC firm as an analyst! Super pumped and excited to start as I have gone through hell and literally overcome all the things that you could possibly deal with. Went to a top public university...
Finally an offer! A story of persistence
543 weeks 6 days ago
by brutalglide
2 weeks 5 days ago
by SonnyZH
Throughout the past few years I've noticed that some of my closest relationships have deteriorated as it became more clear that I was on a fast-track in Finance while others were languishing with bad grades and not-so-prestigious (or non-existent) internships. I knew something to this...
The Price of Success: Friends
708 weeks 22 hours ago
by econ_guru
2 weeks 5 days ago
by SonnyZH
I've been on WSO for almost a year, and I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has made this site what it is. In 2009, I decided to make a big career change decision, which really started this whole process. Coming from a non-target school, non-business major, I really started...
Success!
179 weeks 8 hours ago
by Soccerguy728
4 weeks 4 days ago
by TraderDaily
Primates! Today I'm going to tell you a little story. No, it's not the "walk me through your resume" story that must have precisely 3-4 jumps, with a positive and negative at each juncture that logically progresses to a career in IB. This is the story of how I was finally...
Bumps along the way, but finally moving in the right direction...
346 weeks 2 days ago
by Vontropnats
4 weeks 4 days ago
by hopes33
Sequence of events of 2011-2012 year: 1. Shitty grades in unrelated discipline - told on WSO that I'm fucked beyond redemption 2. switch to econ and finance 3. co-author a paper 4. learn excel like a true monkey, DCF, etc 5. harass MDs with the help of bloomberg to aid my stalking...
Overcoming the Odds - booh yah!
457 weeks 47 min ago
by CanadianPositiv...
6 weeks 4 days ago
by Pancakes
I've been lurking for a long time and found this site extremely helpful from a job hunt perspective - not just for ibanking, mbb, etc. All of advice I've read on this site also obviously translates across all industries and I'm very thankful for this community. Hope this can be...
Nontarget, undergrad vs M7 in corp strategy internship
48 weeks 2 days ago
by rgentum
8 weeks 22 hours ago
by D M
I was originally going to write my long success story, but instead I’ll keep this brief and point out some key things that I believe aspiring monkeys should know. I am in no ways an expert on breaking in, but believe I can at least provide a bit of direction. Quick background: Marine Corps...
From Front Line to Front Office
278 weeks 6 days ago
by ekimlacks
8 weeks 4 days ago
by NikitaN
Hi, Just wanted to share my story... I'm from a top target (Europe), with strong grades, but I'm so lazy when it comes to filling forms its ridiculous... Basically I only applied to S&T summer analyst positions at : -Morgan Stanley -JPM 2 days before the deadline in a hurry -DB...
Thanks SA Offer !
715 weeks 8 hours ago
by Zafrynex
9 weeks 1 day ago
by Billy Ray Valentine
Never posted before but wanted to thank WSO for all that I've read over the years that helped tremendously in getting me to this point. I knew next to nothing about getting a job at a BB coming from my non-target liberal arts college and WSO filled these gaps where our career center was...
Non-target, FT S&T BB Offer
811 weeks 6 days ago
by unitroot
10 weeks 5 days ago
by unslain
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
1321 weeks 6 days ago
by God of Wine
11 weeks 2 days ago
by TexasTim
Long time reader of this site. I have just joined because I wanted to post a big thank you to the WSO community. I am a freshman at a non-target in NYC and have just this week begun a paid internship at an Asset-Management firm. I owe much of my success to this site and all of it's advice and...
Thank you WSO
411 weeks 5 days ago
by Proposition Joe
11 weeks 5 days ago
by WallStreetOasis.com
What's going on everyone? First of all, I've been browsing this site for about a year now and it's helped me a lot. I'm graduating from a "non-target" school and major in History and have a overall 2.9 GPA. I figured there was no way I was getting into finance even...
Just Want to Say Thanks.
1114 weeks 18 hours ago
by madmoney15
13 weeks 2 days ago
by AlsatianCousin
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 share my story. So I am at a Business school in New England majoring in Computers. No banks recruit at my school with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 smaller ones. We have...
How I got into Banking
805 years 25 weeks ago
by CompBanker
13 weeks 2 days ago
by kmess024
Just wanted to post this up here; thanks for all the help WSO! I dropped out of high school and spent two years working as a shift supervisor at Starbucks. I went to community college for a year and then managed to transfer to a target business program. I worked a non traditional internship...
High School dropout to BB IBD
2124 weeks 3 days ago
by Pure Avarice
13 weeks 2 days ago
by kmess024
In the spirit of many of these success stories I have been so thoroughly enjoying I thought I’d share my story with the community that helped me achieve my goal. Also, I hope that others out there can learn from my experiences and achieve their own goals. To begin, I am currently a senior at...
Non-Target Success Story
2414 weeks 6 days ago
by U Accrete Me
13 weeks 6 days ago
by Connor
Hey guys, with recruiting season almost over I am happy/lucky to say that I have received an SA offer at a BB and have to give lots of thanks to the WSO community. (trolls and all) I was just a no-name, directionless monkey a few years ago and now I have a very solid start to a career that I am...
Thanks WSO! +non-target break in story
2015 weeks 6 hours ago
by porsche959
14 weeks 6 days ago
by Kanon
I started out going to a non-target state university for finance, graduating with a 3.2 and a commission in the US Army (thanks to ROTC I had a four year scholarship and zero school debt). The next four years I had a reasonably good time in the military, deployed once, and got out as a captain. ...
My success story: military to Big 4
1421 weeks 1 day ago
by DaveWinkler
16 weeks 2 days ago
by DaveWinkler
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »

Forum Topics

  • New
  • Active
  • Rank
  • Comments
  • I'm gonna start off by talking about myself a little bit. I'm 16 years old and I'm a junior in a high school in the suburbs surrounding NYC (Long Island). I come from a working class family where we get by, but things can get pretty tight at times. I really have a strong interest...
    16 year old Hedge Fund Manager
  • I've been bombarded lately by people asking me if I feel fulfilled with my job in finance, or how it helps the general public... trying to compare what I "give back" to what a doctor provides to society. When my answer is "well, nothing really," they want to ask how I can...
    Do You Care About Your "Value Add" to Society?
  • Chicago Booth vs Michigan Ross? Is it even...
    Chicago vs Michigan
  • I am a first year analyst at a boutique in SF and attending my first industry conference next week with the MD. The MD is a panelist and will be busy before the event, during the "networking session'....So, I do not know any attendees and being my first event I am a little nervous - any...
    Industry Event.....
  • Hey Guys, I am going to be attending college this fall and I want to pursue a career in high finance. I have several questions and conerns and was hoping you guys could help me out and give me you input. 1. What is the future of finance, specifically S&T, going to be like with regulation such...
    Whats your take on Volcker
  • [quote=Project-Syndicate] At this time of year, at graduation ceremonies in America and elsewhere, those about to leave university often hear some final words of advice before receiving their diplomas. To those interested in pursuing careers in finance – or related careers in insurance,...
    ''My Speech to the Finance Graduates'' - Shiller
  • Someone asked me this earlier and it got me thinking. These days education seems so hard wired to graduate positions that it feels odd to even discuss education for education's sake. <strong>If degrees had no bearing on jobs and you had to get a degree, what would it...
    Dream Degree
  • I am a just recently graduated student and plan on getting in and out into the job market as fast as possible. I have been thinking and I was wondering if I should focus on a dual major of Finance & Economics and flying through school a few years or should I choose a dual degree...
    Dual Major vs. Dual Degree?
  • I'm 27 and have been working in a programming sense for the past 5 years. However, I have exactly no finance experience. My experience is with extremely massive data sets. Now normally it wouldn't be extremely difficult for someone with my background to work on Wall Street - working...
    Am I too old for not having relevant experience?
  • hey monkeys, What are the mainly used ratios (valuation and financial) for Gaming Lodging and Leisure companies? THanks for your...
    Gaming Lodging Leisure Industry Ratios
  • Hey monkeys, From talking with people in the finance industry (especially IB, my interest) about recruiting, a specific motivation seems really important (ex: why banking? why GS S+T) to landing either an SA or FT spot. The problem is the same people who tell me most people are sick of the...
    Why Your Industry?
  • I'm just like: <p><img height="200" src="http://i.imgur.com/buNmh.gif"...
    Whenever there is a Euro/G8/XYZ summit for “leaders” promising to get something done
  • Some internship postings are for "rising sophomores & rising juniors", yet they require "prior work experience". To me, that's just pure bizarre. It's almost like they expect you to have an IBD internship right out of high school. Don't these firms know...
    Need experience for job; Need job for experience
  • How do different firms and desks within firms trade/invest? What is their performance? How do they measure their performance/risk/consistency? What is it like to work for them. I'd like both comments about different industries from talking to people and actual experience (you should...
    How do banks, hedge funds, and prop shops trade/invest?
more

Highest Ranked Content

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time
Plus make sure to see my post <a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/how-i-got-a-770-on-the-gmat-with-minimal-effort-while-working-banking-hours%E2%80%A6">How I got a 770 on the GMAT with minimal effort while working banking...
phantombanker's GMAT Study Guide
A week or two ago there was an article written about how your weight might inversely effect you during the hiring process. During the conversation I dropped some personal information about me losing 130 (now 135 pounds). I was PM’d by somebody asking me to tell my story. Well I have some free...
How finance saved and gave me a life
Hey guys, it’s been some time since I posted regularly on this site. That’s what happens when you start working in finance; you don’t have any time. So why am I posting? It’s because I am seeing an injustice being done to a lot of military guys (and gals) who are discovering they want to...
To all Military who want to work in IB/PE/Consulting
<em>Mod (Andy) note: </em><a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/phantombankers-gmat-study-guide">Here is the link to his study guide</a> Background: I recently took the GMAT and scored a 770 on my first and only try. Long story short, I studied and took...
How I got a 770 on the GMAT with minimal effort while working banking hours…
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the close on Friday over the perceived lack of performance in the Facebook IPO. The stock priced at $38, opened at $42.50 (after a few hiccups at the NASDORK), and closed at exactly $38 after an effort by the syndicate members akin to the Spartans at...
IPO Pricing 101
Hey Guys, Been using this site for a while now and figured it would be beneficial for me to give back a bit. For starters, I thought I would detail my experiences using linkedin and cold emails to land a summer offer. Coming from a semi-target undergrad b-school, I had my hands full....
How I used LinkedIn to get Interviews and Land Offers
<a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/what-does-the-labor-participation-rate-say-about-our-society">Back on the topic of what the composition of the labor force says about our society</a>, the New York Times recently put out this <a...
Grandpa And Grandma Are Taking Our Jobs
The Clear Admit Shop currently has <em>free b-school "snapshot" guides</em> <a href="http://clearadmit.shop.studylink.com/index.cfm?onsale=1">available for download here.</a> The guides aren't terribly comprehensive, but can serve as a...
Free B-School Guides!
There she is again: Diane Sawyer, the primary ABC evening news anchor, with another installment in their interminable series of reports on imports and employment in America. I could just strangle her. One week their (alleged) reporters go to people’s houses and look at everything the occupants...
Sawyer’s Syndrome: The ABCs of Trade and Employment
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 Campus Representative Program
more

Recent Jobs

  • Private Equity Summer Intern
  • Junior Distressed Analyst
  • Senior Business Analyst
  • Derivatives Regulations Analyst
  • Portfolio Loan Account Analyst (Entry Level)
more

Poll

What's your favorite Finance-related movie?
American Psycho
19%
A Good Year
1%
Barbarians at the Gate
2%
Boiler Room
5%
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room 
3%
Glengarry Glen Ross
1%
Harold and Kumar
6%
Inside Job
3%
Margin Call
16%
Other People's Money
0%
Pursuit of Happyness 
7%
Rogue Trader
1%
The Family Man
2%
The Game 
2%
Stocks and Blondes
1%
Trading Places
6%
Wall Street
24%
Wall Street 2
3%
Total votes: 458
  • 42 comments
  • Older polls

Silver Banana Rankings

  • Silver Banana Leaders
  • Soiled Monkeys
UserSilver Bananas
TNA848
Edmundo Braverman760
CompBanker747
happypantsmcgee654
IlliniProgrammer552
UFOinsider469
Nouveau Richie377
Midas Mulligan Magoo369
TheKing342
cphbravo96339
more

Top WSO Members

  • Total Bananas
  • Active Monkeys
UserBanana Points
TNA11678
Edmundo Braverman11075
WallStreetOasis.com10284
happypantsmcgee9352
UFOinsider8209
CompBanker7797
IlliniProgrammer7695
Midas Mulligan Magoo5250
monty095152
cphbravo964434
more

New groups

  • The Houston Contingent
  • Corporate Development (M&A)
  • Business Majors
  • Rounders
  • New York Yankees
  • Frustrated NYC Bankers
  • 2012 Houston FT
  • WSO Running Club
  • Venture Capitalist
  • Calgary Finance Industry
more

© 2006-2012 WallStreetOasis.com | All Rights ReservedAdvertise | About Us | Contact Us | FAQs | Site Map | Links

As Seen In

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sister Site

Syndicate content