Most Bulge Bracket Sophomore internships are for LGBT and minorities. Has anyone here or know anyone that has a internships at these bulge brackets even though they are not LGBT or a minority? Love to hear some of the stories and how you were able to break into the banks.
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Females are considered minorities at a lot of these banks if this applies to you.
In addition, a lot of targets have specialized hand-me-down internships of sorts at BB's for sophmores as well. And of course there are those who get in through their parents as well.
In either case, your best bet is with a no-name boutique.
Sophomore BB internship (Originally Posted: 04/13/2010)
This is a good problem to have I guess, but anyway-heard a rumor that if you're a sophomore at a BB, you're
a) Highly likely to receive a return offer, but also b) Your return offer is probably going to be given out in August, and they'll expect a quick reply back.
Is this true? Obviously, I'm focused on first GETTING the return offer, but say I do well enough this summer and secure a return, would this mean I'd have to make the decision of accepting a guaranteed BB vs. potentially interviewing for something different?
If you get a return you can call up the other and usually they will speed up your app process.
By return offer, do you mean return to intern again or a full-time offer?
I'm in a similar position - I'm a 1st year student (UK) interning at a BB this summer - and I'm wondering if there's a chance I could get a job offer out of it rather than just an offer to come back next summer.
I'm fairly certain they won't give out a FT offer right away. You'd have to work there another summer to get that...
The OP means a return offer to intern for his junior summer
i'd imagine you'd have quite a while to decide. in fact, a friend of mine interned at a BB as a sophomore, got asked back for junior summer, and still had the offer in his back pocket as late as feb-mar. granted, he was holding out for a different position at the same bank.
I went through the exact same situation last year. PM me if you want to discuss it.
Is it becoming more common now for target-school rising juniors (sophomores) to get BB offers? (Originally Posted: 06/03/2015)
a lot of people on this board stress that sophomores (rising juniors) usually don't secure BB offers. I've met two columbia sophomores who got summer analyst positions at DB, one UT sophomore get a Citigroup summer position, another ivy sophomore get JP Morgan, another for Morgan Stanley, and a Yale freshman get Goldman Sachs. Do you guys think this is becoming a way more common thing now? I can't help but feel like I'm already way behind.
I'm not really close friends with these people but it's all stuff I've found out through FB, so I don't really feel like I'm in a position to ask how they did it...some of the ones in NY held part time finance internships during the school year so I guess that should have helped. I'm transferring from a semi-target to an lower-tier, not a super high target, ivy. I just finished my first year at the semi-target and after attending two finance conferences, interviewing for a couple of consulting firms and one investment bank, and failing my first rounds, I ended up doing paid analytic work (not finance related) for a startup along with academic research this summer.
I just feel like I'm really behind compared to everyone else, and wanted to know how to better take advantage of the resources that will be offered at my new school? Do you think it's all a result of networking, or just being really well prepared for those interviews? I know they're all the type of people to have high GPAs. I tried networking with people I met at finance conferences, and only one of them replied to my email. I ended up calling and getting to learn a lot, but didn't feel like I built up enough rapport for me to keep messaging them without annoying them.
Some do some don't. I've known plenty of kids at targets (one at Stanford got BAML freshman year) that have gotten offers at a very early stage, others do other things (which I recommend) before getting themselves into this. At the end of the day, a well rounded applicant is usually preferred, and your ability to demonstrate that to others more so.
Trying a lot of things is what I wanted to do...IB is one of a few things I've always wanted to pursue, but it just scares me how behind I am compared to other kids in my age range...sometimes I'm just scared that if I don't 100% commit and set myself to it early (now) I'll be behind everyone else. Thanks so much for your input...the much needed perspective is nice.
I'm unsure how much I can be of help but - this is how I got my junior year BB internship at a non-target school, with a 3.5 below GPA this summer. Your resume sounds similar to mine. Granted my summer SA position is not IB but - personally, my offer came all down to networking.
I started off with some big 4 and consulting interviews, as well as some MM IBanks. Like you, I failed the first rounds and ended up with nothing and began to panic. I started to search through my connections and prospects of people in the industry that I can get referred to. I got aggressive and began pushing hard with the cold-calls and e-mails. Didn't work. I started to hand out my resume to any one and every one I got a chance in hopes that it will magically end up at a hiring manager's desk.
Your biggest mistake here is comparing yourself and looking through others' social media profiles, wasting your time peeking at what they got going for them. Stop. Put that time into developing a plan for yourself instead. Comparing yourself will get you nowhere, especially if it makes you view yourself in a negative light like this. Nobody likes a negative Nancy. Have some gut - believe that you will reach it at your own pace, and keep working at it.
You are in a much better position than so many others that are fighting for the same spot. I'm sure you are intelligent and capable. You have your ivy league brand under your belt, with a plethora of successful alumni that are hitting it in the industry. So many of us at non-target hidden schools would kill for your address book of alumni. Search for them instead of browsing "incoming summer analysts" on Facebook or Linkedin.
Whenever someone in the industry gives a chance for you to listen to them, jump at the chance humbly. Go out of your way to meet them. The best way to market yourself is by meeting them in person. Be casual. Don't voluntarily turn this into an ib interview. These people already know that you reached out looking for a job - Don't haggle them for it. If they like you and believe that you will be a good fit for their firm or group, they will consider it on their own and let you know later on. Focus on sharing your passions and interests about the industry. Don't boast about your credentials. I personally believe your unique identity and personality is your best asset - make yourself a standout. Sell yourself as a one-of-a-kind, enough so that people meet you once and remember you, and want to voluntarily refer you to others if they cannot give you an opportunity. My ultimate offer came after continuous referrals and recommendations from one person in the industry to another. After countless meetings, one of them clicked with me and rang me up with an offer a month later.
As you already know, follow-up with people periodically. You are not bothering them unless your e-mail content is annoying and has no substance.
I think that the most important thing is (for me at least) is finding your passion and firing up your drive for it. It will shine through you. Good people-catchers will catch it within minutes of speaking with you. Don't sell yourself short. You have great potential. You are not behind, unless you make yourself so. Do work!
Good luck to you.
Thanks for the thorough advice, I really appreciate it. Props to you for making it! May I ask what you ended up doing? Do you love it so far? When you said they rang you up with an offer later, was it after doing a formal recruiting interview or just after the in-depth conversations you had?
Yes, an early SA position is possible. Most of these programs, however, are only meant for URMs or women.
Some of the people I mentioned are women but none of them were URM
I was referring to programs. If they informally secured a position then it's obviously through some powerful connections.
Another kid I know just got a Credit Suisse internship after his first year...guess the kids from my HS were all very well connected
A Non-Target Sophomore's Guide to Earning a BB Offer (Originally Posted: 02/04/2015)
DELETE
thanks for posting!
bump
What is a leadership conference? Can you link to one please?
Thanks and congrats!!! I'm currently a freshman trying to prep for landing an internship during sophomore summer. I don't have enough banana points to PM you, but would you mind telling me what conferences you went to? It would be incredibly helpful. THANKS!
Target Sophomore "Targeting" BBs (Originally Posted: 11/04/2011)
I'm a sophomore who just transferred to a target from a non-target. Applying to BB sophomore programs and possibly some boutiques. Please let me know what you think:
http://www.razume.com/documents/22996
your resume looks insane as a sophomore...at least for me...im a sophomore and I am shocked...
-Keep your Education section chronological just like any other resume section. Put LSE above your previous University and change the time format to a month - month span like the rest of your resume (looks weird being the only seasonal format).
Also, your note about your LSE coursework shouldn't be in Italics, but in some sort of summary bullet similar to the ones under your prior University (that's preferable at least, but if not, you would logically have to make an italicized note about your program of study at your previous University in order to keep the structures parallel). If you want to list a degree-equivalent in italics, write the name of the exchange program itself, for example: University of XYZ Education Abroad Program
-The "Spring & Summer Analyst" in both your job titles looks really strange. If an internship is for a prolonged period like that, people typical just use "Intern Analyst." This one's your call though, it's a preferential thing and not a deal-breaker either way.
-Project experience in IB internship looks well-drafted, however, the furthest indented sub-bullets are overly long. Separate each independent clause (text in between each set of semi-colons) into their own sub bullets. Should fill up roughly the same number of lines, but will organize the tasks in a much more clean fashion.
-Italicize Training The Street and Wall Street Training.
-Separate "Activities & Interests" into separate lines and list some interests that have nothing to do with Finance, Economics, or School - would be really shitty to get dinged on your last line just because they think you're boring and a bad fit.
Overall it's a pretty solid resume for a Sophomore. Provided you keep your GPA high at your new school and continue to hustle as if you were still at the non-target, you could potentially live up to your username quite nicely. Good luck man.
-NR
Your resume = win
Keep up the non-target hustling spirit.
Agreed with above, looks good. One thing I would change under Selected Project Experience:
From: "Led team to create dynamic integrated operating and financial models..."
To: "Created dynamic integrated operating and financial models..."
While you may have led a team as an Intern, it just sounds like unnecessary fluff.
Second XPJ's suggestion on changing the "led team" to "created." I actually had the same thing on my resume as a sophomore, and a banker I networked with took one look and said I need to get rid of it.
Under LSE, courses shouldn't be italicized. Also, make educational section reverse chronological.
Under your new uni, include current courses or any other achievements (if you have any) from your time there. It looks a bit empty, compared to your former university.
Otherwise, nice resume for a sophomore. Most soph programs are URM/diversity focused, so keep that in mind, and take advantage of OCR and your alumni database. Good luck.
Sophomore BB Interviews (Originally Posted: 01/25/2012)
What's the best way to prepare? Any recommended guides/ resources? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
Same as junior BB interviews.
which one do you have?
which one?
I definitely overprepared. Read M&I, WSO, and Vault and just about memorized all technicals. However, the overpreparation just helps to feel more calm that things may not be so bad during the actual interview! And they weren't--what matters most is behavioral especially as a sophomore. Know your story--and make it sure it's a good story--like the back of your hand. Know the industry back and forth. Know your resume and leadership. Know how to structure an engaging story. The behavioral stuff is where you really differentiate yourself. Be chill really but enthusiastic. Like everyone else always says, they want someone they can hang out with late a night.
BB as a Sophomore? (Originally Posted: 12/11/2013)
Delete
A rejection as a sophomore would not likely hurt your chances as a junior. Your chances are pretty low. It would definitely help if you had a network in any of these places so someone could forward your resume. Applying through just OCR, you'll likely get tossed just because of your graduation year.
bump
Maybe consider applying to divisions outside of investment banking that might be easier to get interviews in (i.e. not swamped by hundreds of juniors trying to get summer roles).
You're not going to get a typical SA program 1st round interview. The SA program is designed so that banks can fill their incoming analyst classes, and as a Sophomore, you're not graduating soon enough to fit the bill. Many banks do have programs for exceptional Sophomores however. Look into those.
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