Canadian student at target school looking for advice on how to proceed.

Hey everyone,

I'm a rising sophomore at a Canadian target university, and I'm looking for advice on how to improve my odds of breaking into investment banking.

I'm currently doing a stint at a boutique PWM shop, and I think that for a summer freshman internship this is a pretty good start. Besides that, I have done my best to get the highest GPA possible at school, and so far I think it's working as I am ranked probably in the top 10% of the class. I have also joined a couple of finance and economic clubs at school and I'm trying to get some leadership positions in those. (Investment clubs, etc...)

I know it's pretty early since I haven't even started sophomore year, and OCR doesn't start until the middle of fall, Junior year. However, I was wondering what I should be doing or try to do to maximize my chances of getting a summer analyst position come Junior year OCR. While I feel pretty comfortable on the job experience and grade side, I feel pretty naked on the technical side. Would you recommend I look into getting an IBD prep package like the one WSO offers, or is it a little too early for that?

Also, would it be looked down upon if I try to leverage my current internship into something for next summer? My colleagues and superiors are very supportive of my ambitions and goals, but would it be appropriate to ask them for some help in the future before I leave?

Thanks in advance guys, I appreciate you taking the time to help out an anxious Canuck.

 
Best Response

Depends on your school, but I was in a similar situation after my freshman year (also Canadian, but non-target). I landed an internship at RBC based on my extra-curricular involvement, grades, and intense work ethic. Being involved in the investment club & workshops offered on campus taught me most of the technical things I needed for my current placement in Investment Research. Most of them were technically only open to Juniors, Seniors, and sometimes Sophomores, but by the end of the year the people running the events knew my name and would make an exception. Still not where I want to be (IBD, ER, or AM) and I think that has a lot to do with my choice of school, but this is my two cents- get as involved as possible with the student funds.

 

Thanks for the advice. My school has a lot of finance related related clubs, including a couple of funds. I'll do my best this year to study technicals and what's expected of a sophomore so that I can join them the next time they're hiring. I know they also hold interview prep meetings and presentations, so I'll keep an eye out for those.

 

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