Recruiting for Chicago IB from UVA?

For some background, I actually just went through this process and signed with a top MM in Chicago (HL, WB, Baird). I go to a semi-target that traditionally has very, very little Chicago presence (UNC, BC, Emory, Vandy), but I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, so I was interested in recruiting for Chicago (that being said, I still recruited heavily for NYC and the local city I was near). 

To start, recruiting for Chicago from UVA or a similar school, such as those mentioned above, is very feasible. If your school places people in NYC, it can place people anywhere. Ultimately, it is important to remember that many people in Chicago banking started their careers in NYC, so they will recognize your school. That said, it is definitely harder with far fewer seats. I definitely wouldn't limit yourself to only Chicago because, at the end of the day, your goal is to get your foot in the door. I received 2 Round 1s for Chicago, 5 for NYC, and 1 for my local city, so I was relatively successful in multiple cities, although some recommend focusing on one. I believe that is not the best nor most realistic advice for such a competitive process, so cast a wide net.

Networking is essential, as you know. The bank I signed with didn't have a single analyst from my school (a couple more senior people, but I never got on the phone with them). For me, it was 90 percent cold outreach and some connections I had with people in the city (none were actually in IB, but would have friends they would refer me to in the industry). My advice is simple: send emails to people at the firms you're interested in, try to find some common ground (HS, close suburb, youth sport, literally anything), and always make sure to let them know that your ultimate goal is to be in Chicago. I went to a pretty basic public HS with virtually nobody in Finance, but I had friends who went to private schools with tons of alum, and I know Chicago used that network, so do that if you can.

I don't really have any specific banks that were more or less susceptible to cold outreach than others. At the end of the day, it's a numbers game. Throw up as many shots as possible, and a couple will land. That being said, once you do get on the phone, you'd better impress, almost all my calls stemmed from a good cold outreach call that turned into multiple referrals down the line, and I didn't even need to cold email that bank anymore. It could be worth it to focus on non-targets or people from non-Midwest schools, as they understand what you're going through better, but I had amazing calls with people from the likes of IU, Illinois, ND, Mich. If you are driven and likeable, people will be willing to help, just might take a bit longer to get those first calls.

I think both are good ideas if you want Chicago in the long-term. I am proof that you can break in right away, and the firm I signed with has 3-4 other kids from my school who signed in Chicago, where we historically have no presence. It's not because you can't, it's merely a lack of interest or effort from the average student recruiting from a non-Midwest school.

Hope this helped, feel free to ask any other questions.