“I found my mentoring session with André very helpful, particularly because I came into it with very little understanding of commercial banking. My background is in life sciences and healthcare, and most of my career exploration so far has focused on consulting. Although I had become interested in commercial banking, I had not previously explored the area in any depth. I therefore needed a clear starting point and an honest conversation about what I should understand before deciding whether to pursue it.
André helped me establish that starting point. The session gave me a clearer way to think about commercial banking, how it differs from consulting, and what I still need to learn. Before the conversation, I was looking at opportunities and wondering whether I should begin applying alongside consulting applications. Afterwards, I understood that I needed to take a step back and make a more informed decision about whether the work genuinely interests me.
One of the most valuable aspects of the session was how it helped me recognise the gaps in my current understanding. I knew that I was new to banking, but I did not necessarily know which questions I needed to answer for myself. André’s guidance helped me think more clearly about where I am now, what I am missing, and what I should begin doing next. Having that direction was useful because it made the process feel more manageable. Rather than treating banking as a broad and unfamiliar industry, I now have a clearer starting point for learning about it.
A particularly helpful message was that I should first develop a better understanding of commercial banking and assess whether I actually like the work. I took away a sensible sequence: understand the area, decide whether it appeals to me, and then, if it does, commit to learning and preparing for applications. If I discover that the work does not suit my interests, I should be willing to recognise that and focus my efforts elsewhere. That advice sounds straightforward, but it was an important perspective for me at this stage.
The conversation made me realise that I should not rush into applying for commercial banking roles simply because I have found programmes that look interesting. Before the session, I was at risk of moving too quickly from curiosity to applications without having a strong enough understanding of the career itself. André helped me see the value of being more deliberate. I would rather make a considered application based on a genuine interest in the work than spend time applying to positions I cannot yet explain my motivation for pursuing.
Another important takeaway was recognising how substantial the differences between banking and consulting can be. Because consulting has been my main focus, it had become my reference point when thinking about other careers. The session helped me realise that I cannot assume banking will involve similar work, suit the same preferences, or require exactly the same preparation. I need to understand banking on its own terms rather than view it mainly as another option alongside consulting.
I also appreciated that the session was useful even though I did not finish it with a final career decision. At this exploratory stage, greater clarity about what I do not yet know is meaningful progress. I now feel better equipped to evaluate my interest, identify what I need to learn, and decide whether commercial banking deserves a more focused place in my career plans.
Overall, André was very helpful, and the session met an important need for me as someone starting with limited knowledge of the field. Its greatest value was giving me direction and encouraging a more thoughtful approach to my next steps. I left with a clearer understanding of my knowledge gaps, a more realistic perspective on the difference between banking and consulting, and a better sense of how to move forward before committing to applications.”
Hey Analyst 1 in IB - ECM, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I am sad to say, but this thread is lonely, so thought I'd post in here to try and help out. Some potential topics that might help:
More suggestions...
You're welcome.
don't know anything about this but could you name your "target" institution if its engineering i get it but I'm applying for unis in a while and wanted to know what target institutions are except for the iits
I'm not in an engineering target, but NSIT and top NITs would be target/semi-target range for engg. from what I gather
um i was actually asking outside of engineering,i dont want to be an engineer,ive taken commerce so if you could provide any information for those colleges it would be very very helpful,like i think srcc and sscbs are great colleges but outside that(theyre so hard to get into)
SRCC/Stephen's/LSR (if you're female). Outside DU Big 3, there is no target commerce college. SSCBS/Hansraj come close but as a DU student from Big 3, i don't see good job offers go to them. SSCBS is creating a mark, yes, but MBB still didnt look at them even though they're hiring record numbers from Big 3. Would still recommend you to do a decent DU college though, the culture is too good to miss out on, many opportunities even outside of targets.
thank you so much for your response, honestly its amazing how you scored high enough to clear these cutoffs, I'll prolly end up getting somewhere around 95 percent so pretty much no chance, I'll have to go somewhere like christ or smcs(I'm from general category 😞) but thank you so much for your response and good luck ahead:)
From the other side of campus placements, seems to me like you missed one hell of a campus recruitment drive. From what I've seen, typically McK and BCG are bigger in size than Bain, hence, much more open to lateral non-campus hires. This, again is from a top 3 IIT pov. If you're top NIT/NSIT, then you'll have to put in much more efforts - networking and otherwise to show a genuine interest - typically 180DC, campus consult clubs and so on. Ofc, a BB PPO helps, even though at undergrad engg level, the BB offer will most likely be a back-office one (been there, done that). Finally, I've seen McK as more open to hiring from non-IITs at undergrad level (might be just top commerce colleges though), Bain hires more for their BCN Analyst position.
seems like it. i can understand the top 3 IIT PoV, but does it translate to DU top 3 (SRCC/Stephens/LSR) for all of MBB? BCN is the back-end for Bain so don't want to get involved there again, but I was curious if we could connect over DMs/LinkedIn to talk a little more about it? thanks!
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