Q&A: Community College -> Non-Target -> MM IB SA in SF/NYC

Happy to answer any questions in regards to the interview process. I'm willing to do mock interviews & send out all of the interview prep materials I have. Would not of landed this spot w/o this website.

17 Comments
 

What was your major? How did you handle recruiting for IB SA spots since it starts so early? I presume you transferred after 2 years at a CC. Were you interviewing before you had started at the 4 year university? How did you prepare for interviews and what do you think set you apart enough to get you an offer? Thanks for doing this AMA.

 
Most Helpful

Finance. Transferred at 1.5 years. I was basically in my first semester at uni when I started interview prep/interviewing. I prepared for interviews by using WSP, and the guides. A couple of things that set me apart were for starters technical ability for example I didn't miss one technical at my superday. Second and more importantly is 1) being conversational during interviews 2) have 2-3 stories that you somehow tell during EVERY interview. Ask yourself what do you want your interviewer to think about you when he walks out of the room? Your stories should outline that for example for me it was being a flat out workhorse who was strong technically.

 

I had a similar path as you did, hard (at times) but well worth it. Only difference is that I’ll be in Chicago doing a mm SA program for next summer. Again, congrats!

 

Congratulations. I just transferred from a community college into a top 30 business school this summer. I plan on doing a 5 year accounting program that allows me to get my undergrad in Accounting and masters in Finance. I'll be a junior in the fall, so i still have two summers of internships left. Do you have any suggestions for what types of internships I should shoot for in the summer of 2019 that would set me up for an IB SA internship in 2020? I am currently interning at a small commercial real estate firm right now.

 

Aut error ut accusamus laudantium magni. Et eius omnis totam qui. Rem est non voluptatem voluptatibus. Eos voluptates est quia earum dolorem. Sunt ut nisi unde quia ipsa quas.

Aliquam quisquam aut accusantium enim dolore assumenda. Similique laudantium neque dolorem illo qui minima. Nisi dolore nam voluptatem aut corporis suscipit id.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”