Advice for 20-year-old student at HEC Paris looking to break into Investment Banking
Hi guys,
First of all thanks for having created such a dynamic forum for aspiring investment bankers, I've learned a ton already from other posts !
I'm a 20-year-old student in France and I just got into HEC Paris. I'll graduate in 4 years (3-year-long curriculum + gap year) and I'm aiming for the International Finance major there.
I'm writing this post because I'm determined to get into the Investment banking field and I'm looking for some advice as regards the best ways to prepare myself from now on, for future internships and eventually jobs in IB.
Here are some questions that are on my mind, I would very much appreciate your inputs on them:
What books should I read ? Based on the WSO reading list, should I aim only for the "easy reads" for the moment (Monkey Business type books) ? Are books like the one on Investment banking by Rosembaum recommended for guys like me, since I have near zero precise knowledge about finance yet ? (I was in preparatory classes for 2 yrs and didn't have any finance-related course there).
Is it too soon to look at Interview prep guides, such as the Vault guide to Investment Banking, the WSO guides or the M&I guides ? I understand that these are designed for students about to get internship/job interviews, whereas I will likely have my main internships during my gap year, 3 years from now. But can the knowledge contained in these guides still be useful to me from now on, so as to become more familiar with IB concepts as early as possible ?
Do you guys have other suggestions as regards what would be best for me to do during the following 2-3 years in order to be fully prepared when I finally lend interviews ?
Thanks in advance for your time and long live to WSO !
Daniel
far too early bro.
Are you talking about the books or the prep guides (or both haha) ?
HEC is a great school! Take advantage of the multiple events on campus, get involved in extra-curricular activities, hang out with the MBA students (many of their events are open to undergrads). Make sure you get ahead of the crowd in terms of preparation (i.e. Excel, modelling, valuation) -> you will see it's a very competitive group of people. Try to get in as many spring week programs in London as possible... look beyond Paris (esp. Rothschild). On-campus recruitment starts early, around September. HEC has a huge alumni base, so LinkedIn people working in IB and manifest interest -> will be helpful in proving your motivation for IB
Thanks for the advice!
Yes I'll definitely try to make the most of my time at HEC, great experience ahead !
Could you elaborate a bit on the spring week programs ? Who are they designed for and how do they benefit you ?
Also, I get your point about getting ahead in terms of preparation. What resources would you recommend for improving theses skills ?
Thanks again for your answers man
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