Summer of Sophomore Year - getting into MBB from non-target

Dear Monkeys,

This is my situation now;
International Student
non-target school (University of Miami)
Honors Program
3.75 GPA
Investment Banking Internship in Asia
1 non profit experience (Team Leader)
1 non profit experience that required my team to consult a company on their fund raising strategy.

I would like to hear your suggestions on how to prepare myself in the best way before applying to MBB internships for the summer of my Junior year.

What kind of internships should I look for this summer?
Should I apply to MBB internships for this summer?
Can I reapply next summer if I dont get it this summer?

Thanks!

 
LoneStarDevil:
Best thing you can do right now is to start working on transfer applications for target schools.

Also, MBB only take rising seniors (except for sophomore diversity program at McK).

I have been looking into transfering, but as a rising junior there are very few spots at target schools and I am not sure I would really have a shot

 
pnb2002:
Also, why limit yourself to MBB? I know some other firms (OW for sure) take sophomores sometimes.

I've been looking mostly at MBB because as an International student I am going to need to be sponsored to work in the US and outside of MBB I am not sure which firms do that.

I am also looking into other firms for my summer internship (OW was one of them). Should I still apply to MBB and give it a shot or wait and use my connections for my junior year summer?

 

It's too late for consulting at this point anyway. But petergibbons is right, get as big a brand name as you can. It's MUCH easier to break into ibanking from a non-target than consulting (and you're a serious nontarget), especially since you have banking on your resume. Maybe it's too late, but bust your ass to get a BB IBD internship... without serious connections (as in Senior Partners who have the ability to call HR and set up an interview for you personally), IBD or Google on your resume is the only way you'll be able to land interviews for consulting internships next year. good luck

 
moosen:
It's too late for consulting at this point anyway. But petergibbons is right, get as big a brand name as you can. It's MUCH easier to break into ibanking from a non-target than consulting (and you're a serious nontarget), especially since you have banking on your resume. Maybe it's too late, but bust your ass to get a BB IBD internship... without serious connections (as in Senior Partners who have the ability to call HR and set up an interview for you personally), IBD or Google on your resume is the only way you'll be able to land interviews for consulting internships next year. good luck

Is Miami really considered that much of a non-target? It is ranked #44 in the country and #1 in Florida. I am just curious because here in FL it gets lots of respect. Do you think that maybe coming from UMiami would give me a better chance at the Miami MBB offices?

 

I work at an MBB, and while people on this site talk about transitioning from BO to FO it never happens (literally). Get the best job you can, go to a top B school and then think about MBB, that's your best bet. Sorry, the bar on schools is just really high when you only need to hire ~400 people nationwide a year between all the MBBs.

 
pnb2002:
You should also look into Asian offices of MBB and other consulting firms. It's a great way for people to build their resume. I've seen tons of international students do this.

Are asian offices less selective regarding school? Once you get hired from an asian MBB office how easy is it to transfer back into the states? And do they sponsor your MBA in the US?

 
Best Response

Rem culpa et repellendus distinctio. Earum qui temporibus dolore et consequatur voluptatem saepe similique. Voluptas enim molestias ut qui vel eaque. Sint voluptatem ad ratione pariatur. Eum dolore et voluptatibus officiis vel eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (585) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (165) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (187) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”