College in US-> job in HK/Spore

I'm currently studying in an extreme non target in the states, and I tried applying for an SA position for this summer. Applied through contacts + BB websites but the response wasn't any good. I reckon my failure to secure a SA position was due to 2 main reasons

1) I'm a freshmen and people I've spoken to in Singapore prefer at least kids who are in their 2nd year of college. (This is mainly due to some kids having a 3 year college program instead of 4, though majority function on a 4 year system)

2) I'm from a extreme non target school. Despite my relatively good ECs and GPA, kids from Singapore who pursue higher education in states are on scholarships and they tend to study in the Ivies or Ivy equivalent. To have a sense of the competition you're vying with, check out Temasek Holdings website, there is a tab labeled "Internship Experience" or something of that nature.

That being said, don't give up and press on .If you're hungry enough, try cold calling the HR departments in Singapore (though they will most likely ask you to fill up the online application form). It helps a ton if you're from an Ivy school too. Good luck !

P.S I'm a Singaporean studying in States.

FYI - banks in sg are looking to not hire native singaporeans studying abroad and looking to return home; instead, banks are heavily targeting foreign nationals who may have some type of connection to Asia. Being singaporean may or may not harm you, but not being singaporean is definitely a plus.

I've heard good things about working in Singapore - could anyone provide some color on the banking scene/dealflow over there?