Auburn University IB Path
I plan to attend Auburn University in hopes of getting into IB. I'm not nepo, come from the south, and want to go to NYC only. I've heard Auburn is has a great program into IB, but not taget by any means. Also has some strong pipelines into pretty big banks.
I've been told that I should look at other schools to have a good run at recruitment, but don't want to be surrounded by entitled nepos.
Should I look at other schools or am I making the right decision by going to AU?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, Auburn University is not considered a target school for investment banking recruitment. However, it does have some pipelines into notable banks, and students from similar schools have successfully broken into IB by leveraging strong academics, networking, and extracurricular involvement. Here are some key points to consider:
Challenges at Non-Target Schools: Breaking into IB from a non-target school like Auburn can be more challenging due to limited on-campus recruiting from top banks. You’ll need to be proactive in networking and securing internships.
Success Stories from Similar Schools: Students from other SEC schools, like the University of Alabama, have successfully placed into BB (Bulge Bracket), MM (Middle Market), and EB (Elite Boutique) banks by excelling academically (3.7+ GPA), participating in relevant clubs (e.g., investment groups), and securing strong internships. Auburn likely offers similar opportunities if you take full advantage of them.
NYC Focus: If your goal is NYC, you’ll need to work even harder to stand out. Networking with alumni, attending career fairs, and leveraging LinkedIn to connect with professionals in the industry will be crucial.
Alternative Schools: If you’re open to considering other schools, attending a semi-target or target school could significantly improve your chances of breaking into IB. Schools like Vanderbilt, UVA, or even the University of Georgia (Terry College) might offer stronger pipelines while still avoiding the "entitled nepo" culture you want to avoid.
Final Decision: If you’re set on Auburn, it’s not impossible to break into IB, but you’ll need to be strategic. Join finance-related organizations, aim for top grades, and start networking early. If you’re open to transferring or considering other schools, it might be worth exploring options with stronger IB recruitment pipelines.
Ultimately, the decision depends on your willingness to put in the extra effort at Auburn versus attending a school with more established IB recruiting opportunities.
Sources: Target schools for IB, UVA or Cornell?, Are These Good Schools for NYC Investment Banking?, Investment Banking University Recruiting Report – 7 Key Takeaways, UVA Undergrad for IB Recruiting
Depends how confident you are about getting into FMA and how hard set you are going to NY compared to Charlotte or Atlanta
It’s doable but very hard, have met a handful of Auburn alums on the street.
I personally went to the University of Alabama and we have ~10-15 kids break into front office finance roles (IB, ER, HF) in NYC each year, imagine it’s similar at Auburn.
Not to be negative, but genuinely trying to provide sound advice, as someone who attended an SEC school (albeit still a “target”/semi target school-UT/Vandy) if you’re interested in the culture/student life of an SEC school, but also want a decent shot at landing into IB/high finance, UT, Vandy, UF, UGA, A&M are the only ones that will give you a decent shot. Auburn, LSU, Bama, Tennessee, etc. do not have anything remotely close to structured/somewhat solid pipelines into NYC IB.
This might be survivorship (I broke in from one of those lower schools) but I partially disagree, if your stats are good (think 33+ ACT, 4.0 college GPA) you can make it from a lower tier SEC school like Auburn, Bama, FSU. It’s very hard but doable for a handful of people who do on campus prep programs (like 10-20 kids/ year), albeit your overall odds are still pretty bad.
But would agree your prospects in terms of bank placement / PE placement and long term prospects will definitely be better elsewhere.
I mean, what exactly are you disagreeing with? I didn’t say it was impossible, I just had plenty of buddies attend Auburn/LSU/Arkansas/Ole Miss, many of which fought tooth and nail all for spots in Houston/Dallas/Atlanta and really only one successful. I didn’t necessarily filter through raw Linkedin data, but many of them told me they had 3 or so people break in each year. That’s simply not the odds I’d recommend for someone who knows they want to work in NYC IB before undergrad. Not impossible, but definitely too close to impossible for comfort.
You’re off topic a bit
Comparing Auburn and Alabama to Arkansas / ole Miss is rough (the latter group is basically a diploma mill)
I have never even seen a resume from Arkansas or ole Miss come through for NY / Houston spots
even for the "diploma mills" its very much doable. Don't wanna dox myself but its def far less than ideal, but again if u want it bad enough, its achievable. Landed 3 nyc offers and a Dallas one. More to your point, probs send 2-3 ppl at most a yr to IB in general, nevertheless nyc
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