School more important than skills?
I’m in my junior year of hs and I’m working to get into a target school. What I’m doing should be enough to get me into a target but it just hit me that I might not place at a target. How much difference does it make if I get placed at a semi? And does earlier and better training for IB bridge that gap — even a little?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, attending a target school does provide significant advantages, particularly in terms of alumni networks, on-campus recruiting (OCR), and access to top firms. However, being at a semi-target doesn't mean you're out of the game—it just requires more effort and strategic planning.
Here’s what you need to know:
Target vs. Semi-Target:
Bridging the Gap:
Luck and Effort:
In summary, while a target school provides a smoother path, attending a semi-target doesn’t close the door to IB. With better training, networking, and effort, you can absolutely bridge the gap and succeed.
Sources: Target students who don't make it, The Myth of the "Target School", Canadian Target Schools Ranked By Detailed Global Placement Data, Canadian Target Schools Ranked By Detailed Global Placement Data, Target students who don't make it
target schools are definitely better with vast alum network and guaranteed seats from HR
from what i’ve heard over half of SA seats are “reserved” to harvard/wharton/stanford/etc.
you can even tell from SA classes, half of this BB’s consumer team came from wharton
as a junior, it might sound crazy but i know kids who went through the guides and behaviors in senior year, came into their freshmen year with a stacked resume from previous finance internships and lied about graduating early
they recruited as a freshmen, even if you land an offer at ubs or whatever “low tier” bank, once you re-recruit sophomore year, you will place lights out with that offer on resume
versus going to a semi-target the number of seats HR allows a school’s recruitment team to hand out could change vastly if existing AN/ASOS are underperforming at said bank, you also won’t have an alum at every bank/location/team, also fighting to get on the phone with 60 kids for 1 alum
if you messed up your call with these 2/3 alums, you’re cooked from the bank
even for buyside recruitment, god bless if you can find an alum at the major umm/mf firms
Unrelated but UBS is “low-tiered” now haha? Thanks for the insight. Not only are the target schools very competitive to get into, the list of colleges you could get into narrows down when you consider availability of financial aid for international students. It’s unfair but I’m not surprised. I did realize that they would have more exposure to alums and “network material” but a lot of freshmen in college still don’t know what they’re going to do, so I was wondering if one (a semi-target student) could gain back some of the edge by starting to network from day one, capitalizing on the fact that others don’t because of the reason I just mentioned. Again, I appreciate the comment.
haha yes UBS has been on the decline this past few years
also yes, a semi/nontarget student 100% can place well if they prepped and networked early
most of the lack of success from these schools stem from the lack of recruitment team and therefore lack of upperclassmen guiding sophomores through recruitment
all targets/strong semi-targets have strong investment banking clubs that teach you how to do everything, the club execs have alumni bankers on “speed dial”, they have access to recruitment timeline, resume books, how many slots are allocated from each bank, past interview questions etc.
for example, if anyone at my school wanted a foot into blackstone they would have to network with current juniors/seniors with bx offers to be recommended to speak with the blackstone alum (dumb asf but it’s the game) then if they past the recruitment team, they’re given an interview
versus, someone at a school with no alum recruitment team, it’s a shot into the dark, you can get wharton bros on the phone but wharton guys are not pulling anyone outside of their own school
this again boils down to where you want to place if it’s simply banking at any regional office or any of the so called “low tier banks” on wso, semi-target and even nontarget is more than enough (seen numerous uiuc kids at chicago offices, numerous rutgers people at nyc ubs)
but if your goal is truly just the prestige (goldman, ms, mf buyside) it would simply be harder from a nontarget/schools that are barely a semi-target
Distinctio nulla quasi dolores aut dolorem sit. Totam consequatur optio possimus cupiditate. Consequatur nisi necessitatibus nihil error deleniti.
Nemo reiciendis possimus dolorem blanditiis iste. Aut reprehenderit optio veritatis ea et. Asperiores explicabo corrupti blanditiis voluptatem laborum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...