At this point, perhaps consider doing an MBA. From what I've seen around here, it seems like a "career reset button" that you can use to get into the industry. Of course, this should only be done if you are super serious about IB because otherwise it is a complete waste of time and money.

Getting into a respectable school however, is another challenge by itself. It requires extensive leadership experience (not sure if you have that, doesn't seem like you do), high grades, a great gmat score...and the same experience it would take to get into IB out of undergrad. The thing is, you can at least graduate on-time, work for 2-3 years, and then go.

 

I'm sorry but you couldn't be anymore wrong. In Canada it's the UNIVERSITY that's the target not just the program. UBC, McGill, Queen's, Ivey, U of T also have the best economics degrees available in the country and heaps of them end up in finance as well. So do the engineering and maths grads from these schools. Saying that its the program that's the target is uninformed because there is no way a bcomm from Guelph is gonna be looked at equally compared to a BA in econ, Bsc engineering or maths from any of the top 4 simply because the quality of education and alumni network are not on the same level. OP don't listen to this kid...I am a Canadian senior in econ like you at one of the top 4 , your path into finance will be no different then a non-target in the US. Your only advantage in Canada is the brand on your degree and who you know on the inside. The rest is up to your ability to hustle. Cleaning up your resume is not enough. Get cold calling and contacting alumni who graduated with econ degrees to get some contacts for an internship and hedge your risk by doing the GMAT and applying to grad school because if worse comes to worse and nothing perspires at the very least you'll be able to re-brand yourself and get some serious help developing your career.

Keep it together and you will go far..
 
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I'm sorry but you couldn't be anymore wrong. In Canada it's the UNIVERSITY that's the target not just the program. UBC, McGill, Queen's, Ivey, U of T also have the best economics degrees available in the country and heaps of them end up in finance as well. So do the engineering and maths grads from these schools. Saying that its the program that's the target is uninformed because there is no way a bcomm from Guelph is gonna be looked at equally compared to a BA in econ, Bsc engineering or maths from any of the top 4 simply because the quality of education and alumni network are not on the same level. OP don't listen to this kid...I am a Canadian senior in econ like you at one of the top 4 , your path into finance will be no different then a non-target in the US. Your only advantage in Canada is the brand on your degree and who you know on the inside. The rest is up to your ability to hustle. Cleaning up your resume is not enough. Get cold calling and contacting alumni who graduated with econ degrees to get some contacts for an internship and hedge your risk by doing the GMAT and applying to grad school because if worse comes to worse and nothing perspires at the very least you'll be able to re-brand yourself and get some serious help developing your career.

Keep believing that if it makes you feel better. Canada recruiting is not like the US at all; having a business undergrad degree is a checklist item. There's a reason why the only Western people in finance come from Ivey.

Just think about it: when you apply to a Canadian university, you are applying to a program, and each program has a different level of selectivity. Banks will discount people from less selective programs, just like they do with people from less selective colleges in the US.

 

I wouldn't be so sure with that. Just for arguments sake...for example at some schools in the top 4 the average entrance requirement just to enter the university is higher then the entrance requirement for business programs at other universities. Western Ivey is an exception not the rule. At my school OCR recruits in clusters and for most BB's they put Commerce, Econ, Engineering, Maths in the same group and I am sure this is not dissimilar to other top institutions. Also it doesn't make me feel any better or worse, just looking on LinkedIn there are heaps of alumni from my program and others with more quantitative degree's working in finance in a variety of FO roles so I'm not just talking out of my ass but regardless of this I know that if you want anything in life you got to hustle. In all honesty I think whether or not a certain program is a checklist item depends not only the role being applied to but also the preferences of the employer so it would be wrong to generalize. Personally it goes goes against my sense of logic to believe what others tell me without verifying it myself because there is nothing worse than making assumptions based on other peoples conclusions. Which is why I implore the OP to get on the phone and start talking to people so that he can make his own conclusions and progress in the right direction. As much as WSO is a great place for advice there is nothing more valuable then learning from people who have been in the same shoes and have walked the same halls.

Keep it together and you will go far..
 

This is absolutely not true.

I have friends and family in many BBs and MBB firms both here in Canada and in the US, and each and every one of them said the exact opposite of what you are saying right now.

Yes, Queen's/Western Econ is "better" than Guelph BBA. And yes, Queen's Econ students can use QC OCR. However, Queen's Econ is absolutely not a target. At all. In no way.

To even imply that a program that has a 10% lower admission average will be looked at the same is foolish and misleading.

 

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