NESCAC Alums - Recruiting Experiences
Hey all,
I'm a rising sophomore at a top-tier NESCAC (W/A) and am currently beginning to network with alumni. However, I have some questions that I would feel unbelievably stupid asking to someone who knows my identity. For some background, I'm a non-diverse non-athlete. If any LAC alums on this board have any insight on any of these, please let me know!
- Is it true that technical standards are lower for LAC students?
- More broadly, are resume standards for us lower in general? I know upperclassmen who have gotten SA offers in top groups with no finance-related internships and maybe one club, non-nepotism non-athletes included.
- What was your response rate on networking emails like? How helpful actually were alums?
- With OCR being less common (especially post-Covid), what was the most effective way to get your resume through?
- How competitive actually is recruiting within the school? I've obviously only gone through freshman year so far, but the people I know seem oddly relaxed about the process compared to my friends at Penn or Princeton, who are already doing PE internships and have sophomore summers lined up at BBs. It just really confuses me that we have such good outcomes despite people being so laid back.
Thanks so much!
1. In my experience, 100% yes.
2. I mean there's not much out there in general as a sophomore. If you can land a sophomore summer finance gig, you're in good shape. NESCAC finance clubs aren't THAT exclusive, just join one to have on your resume. Most of the time it's just BS. Having a high GPA / good major helps more.
3. School-specific alums: 95%. NESCAC-wide: 50-65%? Very very helpful. Read previous threads about NESCAC recruiting for color.
4. Banks still hold school-specific recruiting sessions, even if it's virtual. I am sure there is a healthy amount of banks coming up to W/A either way. Lot of the time it's just seeing what banks your school is a target for, networking with the school recruiting team, and getting them to push your resume. A bit more opaque, but the pipeline exists with a bit of effort.
5. Less competitive than an Ivy in my opinion. My friends at H/Y/P had difficulty landing stuff that just fell in my lap because of incredibly strong alum connections. Still need to keep your head down and grind for a few months, but you should be able to land a respectable gig if you go to W/A and network minimally.
Agree with all those points. Went to one of the two schools you named and felt like I had a similar experience - not that many people in my grade did IB so it wasn't super sweaty, but those who did placed very well. Still, make sure you study a lot and are very well-prepared, as any good bank is still going to give some difficult interviews, regardless of whether you're at Williams/Amherst or Wharton.
Thanks so much!
Did you ever take trips to NYC/Boston to do in-person chats, or did you mainly focus on phone calls? I live in the northeast and would easily be able to do so during a break, but I'm wondering if it's worth the effort.
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