Breaking into BB ER from Brown

Hey everyone, I'm a rising sophomore at Brown interested in Equity Research, preferably at BBs because I may eventually want to exit into a MM HF. I browsed LinkedIn for Brown alums in the industry, but found very few; and there aren't any other kids at my school who are aiming for equity research so I'm not sure about how to go about recruiting for it. 

Should I connect with people in the ER industry at BBs and ask them for a chat to eventually get a referral later - and if so, when? Should I also target associates, analysts, or MDs? Additionally, what should I be studying to prepare for interviews? All help and any other tips are appreciated!!

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Make sure to network with every person in ER at Brown. I’m sure they went through the same dilemma you’re experiencing right now so they will definitely be more inclined to help. Since Brown doesn’t have a business school, it will be harder for you to build connections through clubs, so you should supplement that by trying to get into as many accelerator programs as possible (GWI, MLT, ModernGuild, etc). Keep in mind that these are diversity programs though so the majority of your work might have to be independent. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people from other universities, and if possible utilize professors in adjacent fields who might have some sort of industry experience (economics).

For interview prep, there are way more in depth posts that cover all that you need to know. WSO and M&I have pretty useful interview guides which cover the majority of the questions. Your prep should start tangentially with your networking, along with educating yourself on the markets and research knowledge.

Your path is going to be a lot harder than even a lot of non target biz school kids NGL, but you got into a great institution, so you’ll definitely be able to achieve what you want if you put your mind to it. Good luck!

 

also a sophomore at Brown, I know BIG and other finance groups have a lot of connections and host a ton of company sessions and networking with recent grads. I'm trying for S&T but in a similar situation. try BrownConnect maybe?

 

I found that people in sellside research were incredibly willing to speak with me on the phone. The response rate is much higher than in IB particularly among non alumni. Set up networking calls in December, January, and February of your sophomore year. The trick for me was expressing an interest in their coverage and mentioning something in particular that I wanted to discuss in the cold email. It is a huge advantage that you are one of the few going for sellside from your school. I was in a similar position and it definitely helped me obtain more first round interviews.

 

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