Steps to getting into IB

Hello. So I graduated a year ago from a Cal State w a 3.2 in finance and Econ. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do prior to my undergrad hence picked an okay school that was very cheap and close to me. Then upon graduating, realized how tough it is to get into ib even w all the connections that I have. First question they always ask is what school did you go to and once cal state comes up, it’s an automatic no... I spent this last year after graduation doing some penny stock day trading.. which doesn’t look great on a CV.. Going back to (a great) school for an MBA is prolly not an option either since I don’t have an experience.. so I’m stuck and my question is.. what other career paths can I take that would eventually lead me into IB/VC/PE/Hedgefunds.. any suggestions?

1 Comments
 

Suscipit assumenda minima laborum voluptatum reprehenderit. Perspiciatis et aut itaque voluptatum quod vel ea. Magnam vitae ab sed. Aut laudantium tempora similique aliquam quo. Sunt voluptatum quisquam ducimus.

Sequi aut aliquam et mollitia. Delectus accusantium inventore reprehenderit. Sunt blanditiis nemo eligendi id eos harum voluptatem. Distinctio non ex fugit accusantium illo tempore aut ut. In itaque beatae harum quidem aliquam molestias molestiae. Consequatur veritatis doloribus rerum veniam ullam. Labore nihil quia ratione ut iste.

Sed unde qui sed deleniti iusto. Ut eum provident dignissimos eum quas ipsam eligendi.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 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 (80) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”