2021 London SA Application Results
With recruiting season wrapping up for 2021 London SA positions, I was curious to see what were the results across the board (I have seen a similar post made for NA in the past). I will start with mine.
Applied IBD
Applications: 30 (BB/EB/Other large banks BNP and Nomuras of the world)
First Round: 8
Second Round: 4
AC: 2
Offer: 0
Target school, good CV/work experience, non-diversity, attended all "campus" events (online this year) under the sun, but otherwise no networking
Applications: at least 40/50, like everywhere 1st Rounds: 5 2nd Rounds: 2 ACs: 2 Offers: 1
Kinda target uni, strong subject
I’m not sure what really went wrong. I think I messed up a lot of my interviews and mostly my tests actually. I got really lucky to clutch one good offer. There is a possibility that after Christmas i could get like 2 more 2nd rounds but doesn’t matter anymore lol
ACs: 5 Offers: 4
Target uni, bad CV
Applications: 40
1st Rounds: 3
ACs: 2
Offers: 1
20 Applications
4 AC’s
3 Offers :MS, GS, JPM.
JPM’s AC was brutal, anyone here who also went there hopefully can attest to how technical they get and 8:00-18:00 is just not the one chief.
Diversity candidate @ non-target uni. Pretty decent CV
Applications: 60+
First rounds: 0
ACs: 0
Offers: 0
Would have liked at least 1 chance to prove myself but oh well. Waiting to hear back from a few other things, otherwise I’m just gonna f*** off to the British Army
Semi-Target, good GPA / past experiences
Applications: 32
First Rounds: 7
ACs: 3
Offers: 3
Target, decent CV
Applications: 60+
First rounds: 8
ACs: 1
Offers: 1
Applications: 40 (I think)
1st Rounds: 5
ACs: 3
Offers: 0
Semi-target and decent CV. I seem to be getting through CV screens/psych testing, but trip up at the AC stage which is very frustrating. Will continue applying after Christmas to see how it goes
Where will you still apply? Are there still SA places available? Thanks!
Double
Humanities student at a top target.
Didn't find much success with larger firms and those with tests right after the applications. Was much more successful with interview invitations from boutiques. Did a Spring Internship at one of the firms I have an offer from. Didn't do much networking before I applied and I applied only for IBD.
Applications: 25~
First Rounds: 7
Second Rounds: 4
ACs: 2
Offers: 2
Applications: 18 First rounds: 3 ACs: 3 Offers: 3
Seen people on here with 30+ apps, think this method is less successful than concentrating applications (cover letter quality etc drops). Also helped applying to less places when it came to interview research
Hi lads, thanks a lot for the contributions. Would be helpful if you guys could just mention school tier/work exp/diversity status/amount of networking done just to flesh out profiles a bit more (also to what division you applied, I implicitly assume IBD), otherwise looks like London is a lot of spray and pray regarding apps, but last point about concentrating applications does have some merit
Applied IBD (+ HL Rx)
Applications: 16 (mix of SA, Graduates and OC | BB and EB only)
1st Rounds: 8
2nd Rounds: 3
ACs: 3 (different than the 3 2nd Rounds, they were banks making one/zero round before AC)
Offer: 1
Semi-target school with strong work experience (2 BB IB internships)
.
Applications: 3 (BBs)
ACs: 2
Offers: 1
Non-target, good work experience, no networking
3 > 2 > 1, Legend
Applications: 40/50
1st Rounds: 5
2nd Rounds: 3
ACs: 2
Offers: 1
~25 applications 2 first rounds 2 Ac 1 offer (BB)
Target, decent CV
27 applications - all known IB, some AM and others
10+ 1st/2nd rounds
6 ACs (only did 2 - withdrew from other 4 and all other firms still earlier in the process)
2 offers (both EB)
Oxbridge, strong academics, work exp, leadership, spring in AM.
Side note - why are people talking about "diversity/non diversity". London doesn't do diversity recruitment afaik - it's all one recruitment stream.
London does diversity recruitment. Diversity means blacks/females in London tho, not Hispanics/minorities like US
Organisations like SEO London, Rare Recruitment, Employability, #100BlackInterns all feed into programs, and offer fast-tracks that aren't available to non-diversity.
Specific banks also have diversity-only programs - e.g. GS London has "Make Things Possible Academy", "LGBT+ Student Possibility Program", "Female Trader Academy" just by itself. The first ACs this year for GS S&T and IBD were diversity-only candidates. Pictet's summer internships in London are for only diversity students.
For GS it is not true - the first ACs were for springs.
Pictet internships are open to everyone from low socio-economic background, just done through SEO. Also whites are allowed in SEO and Rare it is just a self-selection thing.
Also, being diversity increases your chances I think, whether you apply via diversity programs or not
What nonsense. Ethnic minorities applying through normal recruitment streams don't suddenly have an advantage. Banks are profit making machines; through normal recruitment they just want the best candidates. Don't peddle this BS - it just leads to people questioning all diverse employees in banking regardless of qualification.
Applied: >80... S&T, AM, ER, PE
First rounds: 5
AC: 5 (2 pending)
Offers: 2
Target, non-diversity
Target Uni, Finance student
Applied: 15
First round: 8
AC: 3
Offers: 2
Applied: > 75 places... IB,ER and AM
First Round: 5
AC:2
Offers: 1 in AM. Still waiting to hear back from the other AC (ER)
Msc Finance Student. Semi-target school in London. Decent CV.
congrats on the hustle
Congratz to all that got offers, hope you will enjoy your roles, to those that have not secured offers yet, hope you find your path.
Studying business at target. Decent CV (few spring weeks, few leadership positions in societies)
Apps: 30+. Mostly IBD, also HF and Consulting.
First rounds: 5
ACs: 2 (spring conversions from IBD and consulting)
Offers: 1 (consulting)
Applications: 18 (IBD at BBs, EBs, some lower-tier) First rounds: 6 ACs: 2 Offers: 2
Final year at a continental target. No diversity. Little networking (none with firms that gave me an offer). Good grades, strong finance extracurriculars and previous small boutique IB experience.
Final year, target EU university, non-diversity, top grades and extracurriculars, internship in regional office of a BB.
Applications: all BBs, EBs and some others. Around 20.
First rounds: 2 (ironically only with banks considered more competitive)
ACs: 0
Luckily I got an OC at GS/MS so definitely happy in the end!
Final year undergrad @ semi-target, non-diversity, prior internships & decent extra-curriculars
Applications: 124 (and counting...)
First rounds: 6
ACs: 2
Offers: 0
10000000 apps, 0 offers
f
1 App -> 1 AC -> 1 Offer (GS/MS/JPM)
Applications: Like more than 100 all in (deviated from IB as the year stretched on obviously
First Rounds: 7
ACs: 4
Offers: 1
Masters at target, decent experience, a lot of networking
Applications: ~50, mainly IBD with some trading/ER/quant prop shops
ACs: 5
Offers: 4
Semi-target, strong subject, good CV. Think networking played a huge part for me in getting to ACs but from there just tried to be personable and nail technical questions.
Applications: 2
ACs: 2
Offers: 1
EB in Ldn
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