Too Late? What are my options? 4th year in November, just starting to cold email

I'm starting to feel screwed. I just started cold emailing and it is Nov. 2. I am a fourth year at a non-target. I started off going for engineering but switched in my sophomore year to Economics. Even once I switched it took probably 6 months to learn the ropes of finance (buy-side vs. sell-side, all the different functions and jobs). Once I finally figured out I wanted to do Private Equity, I learned you had to do investment banking first just to get there. The career switch and a quarter studying abroad killed my chances of a summer analyst position this past summer so now I am trying to get a full-time position for graduation in June. I worked at StepStone Group this past summer, but due to that work schedule and some personal things going on I hadn't had the time to learn all the material on BIWS and start cold emailing people. So here I am, I'm involved in the investment club on campus, I know most of the required technicals for interviews, and I am leading our school's team for the CFA Challenge. Business school is also on the table down the line. Does anyone have an insight or idea of what my options are at this point? Is it too late to get into a decent investment bank?

1 Comments
 

Veritatis cum inventore aliquid a aut expedita. Qui reprehenderit veritatis magni repudiandae voluptas saepe earum sit. Eum doloribus velit consequuntur illum inventore corporis. Ipsa ex tempora rerum temporibus et. Nostrum perferendis cupiditate distinctio minima incidunt ut aspernatur.

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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”