2025 SA - Losing Hope

Hi all,

I am currently recruiting for 2025 SA roles in ER mainly. I go to a target uni (Oxford/Cambridge/LSE) with one prior pe internship.

After almost 30 applications so far, I am yet to receive any real positive news, and can't seem to get anywhere - consistently not making it through rounds. I have written CLs tailored to each firm + role and felt that all online assessments have gone reasonably well.

At this point it feels like its impossible to get anything and I don't see what I should change.

Could anyone recommend what could I be doing wrong/ what I may be able to do to have any glimpse of hope.

Thanks

6,320 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '29 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Other

“Jonathan was a great mentor to work with. What stood out most was how specific he was. Instead of general advice, he gave me a real plan for my Evercore application: two short cover letters for M&A and Private Capital Markets, naming the associate I spoke with, and selecting “employee referral.” His resume edits, like rewriting the 400+ investor orders bullet and using stronger verbs with real numbers, made my experience much clearer. He also pushed me to apply by the deadline instead of waiting on the recruiter. Highly recommend him.”

Class of '29 Jun 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“Sharon was very kind and very knowledgable. She was very friendly and took the time to explain concepts to me that I did not know as well. She had also saw that I knew easier questions and moved on to harder ones after she saw that I was able to understand the easier ones. She also gave me a lot of actionable feedback at the end, such as how to approach a question I do not know and what I should say as opposed to saying "I don't know". I need to work on that and have heard that from people, so it is something I will implement.”

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2 Comments

ib_prospect_in

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2y

Bro calm down we have just started, you will be fine.

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spinoff_dej

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2y

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2025 SA - Losing Hope

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2025 SA - Losing Hope

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