Oxford, Non-Diversity, No IB Springs - Can I Get BB 2023 Internship in London?

Just finished 1st year at Oxford doing econ. No IB springs and feel like I'm really struggling with summer applications. 

Didn't realise the emphasis firms put on diversity. Not one to make excuses, there was more I could have done EC wise to get a spring. But, even though I come from a very poor (council estate background) and go to Oxford, as a straight white male I struggled to get a BB spring week. Only after signing up to SEO London did I get one at a big 3 consultant. 

Yes, I probably did get complacent and thought "I go to Oxford, I must be good enough", but slacked on my applications. 

Any advice to land a BB summer? 

14 Comments
 
Most Helpful

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6940372

Diversity in the UK works a lot with low socioeconomic backgrounds too. SEO and the brokerage are just two examples of this. So it's really not that much of an issue and you should stop thinking of it as a burden. All that does is take responsibility away from you which is completely pointless. Plenty of white male kids from targets get it in every year. Be one of them.

Also just noticed there's a particular focus on BB offers in your post. I really hope you're not just applying to BB firms because that would be very dumb. 

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, completely agree. It is down to me to put the time/effort in and I’m very eager to do that, which is why I was asking for advice as to what I would be wise to do.

Applying everywhere I can - got a few EB and MM 1st round interviews. But (like everyone probably) the ones I really want are GS/JPM/MS.

 

I would like to present you with a well thought out reason, but I'm being honest, prestige and £. 

Not to say that MBB aren't prestigious - "I'm an investment banker at Goldman Sachs" just sounds pretty good.

Plus the skills etc you can acquire within 2 years IB and exit ops are probably slightly better. I know a lot of MBB consultants make their way into PE but it does seem harder than the IB route. 

 

Vel iure dignissimos voluptas omnis quaerat consequuntur. Quia voluptas quia accusantium est sit. Beatae explicabo vero voluptas cumque hic. Similique ullam optio maiores. Nostrum et et quia nihil minus. Totam commodi numquam tenetur architecto est.

Fuga accusantium odio porro animi ea autem. Reiciendis ipsam odio aut atque. Ad quia sint pariatur consequatur corrupti ut. Rem consequatur dolores adipisci distinctio.

Rem amet sed dolores recusandae. Aut culpa et voluptas et.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (79) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”