is it easy to get into s&t compared to other areas in finance?

what desk were you on?

exotic equity derivatives

That is kind of strange. My case was pretty different from yours but it varies from bank to bank and desk to desk I guess. Most majors in my group were from engineering or mathematics. They had good GPAs too from top schools (ivies)in the US and the UK(oxbridge, imperial). Their experience though was nothing spectacular.

there were a lot of athletes who didnt seem to have any interest in finance.

What's top three?

MS, Goldman and JP

Some people disagree on how selective S&T is vs IBD. Some say that because there are so few openings, it's tough to get one of those spots. Others argue that the ratio of applicants to openings is just as competitive in IBD because IBD is so much more popular.

One thing is certain though: there are way more meatheads with low GPAs on the trading floor.

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http://www.drmarkklein.blogspot.com/

thanks mark. Insightful as always.

By meathead he means someone that has basic social skills. Something Mr. Mark McDouche lacks.

"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"

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what does "less impressive" mean exactly? Were the interns not keeping up with the job and tasks?

Though I must say its a bit surprising that with your product, the students didnt have more mathi majors than the IBD class.

are there more spots available in S&T as compared to IBD? if so, does S&T get more applications or is it IBD? If it is indeed true that IBD gets more applications with fewer spots compared to S&T, then isn't it safe to assume that it is statistically more probable to get an S&T offer?

also, do quantitative majors have a leg up in S&T recruitment?

depends on where you want to go.

well...i go to a non target...and was able to get superdays to two diff bb's for trading...where as for ibd...none of the banks would even look/consider me...juss my 2 cents..

I had easier time getting banking interviews... funny

Just finished a BB S&T internship also. Looking through the resume book the average gpa is about 3.6. One person below 3.4. And with the exception of some people recruited through a particular diversity program, i thought the resumes were pretty impressive. 40 some odd spots in s&t, much less than ibd i would think.

You lot are unreal. Who actually cares what your gpa is. It's all about making money anyway so just because you went to an Ivy league uni and have had your head in the books for the last 15 years doesn't mean you're going to be any good.

yea S&T is all about generating revenue. remember lewie, the mortgage trader @ salomon brothers in the 80's who started as mailroom clerks? you dont have to look waspy and slick with a harvard education if you want to be a good trader.

in my intern class i see a lot of S&T interns coming from engineering/math/physics backgrounds. a different set of talent pool from IBD.

Wow look what i have created?

Finally people start to realize trading is only difficult if you make it difficult. Buy low, Sell high. Sell high, Buy low.... Repeat.

yeah but the trading floor at banks has changed a massive amount since liar's poker. you don't have to be a genius to do anything at an investment bank (minus the quant stuff where you've gotta be smart), but it's more about just fitting in with your coworkers