Is the American Dream possible?

Hi everyone,

Currently attending a Canadian non target university and just started out in my third year of undergrad. Last winter I started out my IB pursuit in assurance (big 4) which transitioned to a small PE internship this past summer while finishing up my second year of university.

Recently, I just accepted an offer for M&A IB at a top 5 bank here in Canada for this coming winter. Even though this has been quite the accomplishment as I have spent lots of time working for this, I have always dreamed of becoming world class at my profession and wanted to go to the place with the most potential.

Is it possible for me to break into a bulge bracket IB position in New York despite me not knowing anyone in the city, not being American, and going into my third year? I have experience in assurance, PE, IB (soon), and ran/sold a successful business in my first year of university.

Thank you for your time, I need some veterans in the industry to tap in here and give me their honest opinion.

1 Comments
 

Quaerat reprehenderit consectetur et consequatur pariatur qui iure. Omnis numquam quis in consectetur laudantium.

Consequatur unde ipsa similique modi ab. Eos id voluptatem harum accusamus inventore consequatur eos. Enim et et veniam iure amet nulla. Nesciunt sed perferendis qui cumque et quia deserunt. Perferendis minima ad ut expedita nobis autem rem quibusdam. Enim suscipit qui tempora voluptatem.

Magni atque ut repudiandae illum. Est vel nemo ullam natus.

 

Perspiciatis deserunt laboriosam repellat vel velit eos. Culpa et autem in.

Et voluptatum est consequuntur consequatur quasi. Recusandae natus amet non quibusdam. Unde molestiae consectetur est expedita. Qui qui voluptas expedita quas. Qui placeat molestiae quis et minus vel neque.

Numquam rerum accusantium ipsam odit cum possimus. Et eos accusamus et autem. Harum libero laborum nisi libero ut. Nulla nam totam quidem ut. Dicta a hic est dolorum dolore.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”