UCLA Investment Banking 2023
Hi, current UCLA undergrad student here! Wanted to create this thread for all current, graduated, and future prospective Bruins to use as a resource to navigate IB/finance recruiting as a UCLA undergrad. I haven't seen an updated version of this thread on here, so I thought I'd make one, as based on my own UCLA experience, we definitely could any extra resource we can get. This thread will be for any Bruin that has any questions about the IB scene at UCLA, or any alum that just wanna see how we're doing. UCLA has definitely gone up in terms of prestige in the finance world in the last few years in LA, SF, and NY, so now is a better time than ever to get into it as a Bruin! Happy to answer any questions myself on here as well - hope this helps :)
UCLA IB placement has increased drastically over the past 2 years. Clubs such as BHF/BVI/BAM/BIT have started to take on more members and each have their own respective alumni networks. Once in any four clubs, seniors from any other three are willing to help you place into investment banking. As a freshmen, I would highly recommend recruiting for these organizations if interested in IB.
The main IB recruiting pipelines that consist of mostly club members from the four above are the UBS IB Workshop and Sharpe Fellows which open applications in Winter Quarter of sophomore year. The IB Workshop is run but the Undergraduate Business Society IB Committee which is composed of BVI/BHF/BAM/BIT members (this year the 4 club presidents were on the IB Committee). Sharpe fellows is run by the Alumni center which recently had a change in program leadership. Both programs run their own mentorship, technical training, and networking/info sessions. This past year the IB Workshop has been more successful with info sessions largely due to the change in leadership running the Sharpe program and club leaders leveraging their networks.
Do not worry if you do not place into any club or program mentioned above as it's not an end all be all. You will just have to network harder and connect with junior/senior bruins (UBS runs office hours for the same people on IB Committee). Several people have placed incredibly well without IB workshop or have gotten into workshop without clubs.
To sum everything up, Freshmen year recruit for clubs and get internships. Sophomore year study technicals, network, understand the IB industry, and apply to the IB workshop and Sharpe.
UCLA has placed at GS TMT, MS NY, JPM NY, PJT, Moelis LA, Qatalyst, Houlihan Rx, Evercore Menlo, Lazard SF, etc the past 2-3 cycles just to name a few more hyped offices here on WSO. Very well represented in LA IB as well, hope this helps.
(Source - in one of the clubs mentioned above)
Some tips / advice to landing one of the clubs? Incoming freshman.
Network with club leaders, study M&I concepts and technicals, demonstrate interest in finance and know how to give a solid 1-2min stock pitch. Also helps to just be a like-able person.
Got into one of the main clubs my freshman fall - now a junior. Networking doesn't really matter much imo after being on the other side of club interviews - its more just pay attention at the info session so you have something decent to say in your interview.
The biggest culling always happens on the resume round, which sometimes has a stock pitch too. Literally just rip the WSO template, and write your experiences in the same way and honestly you're pretty much guaranteed to move on past the resume round for at least a couple of clubs, and as long as your stock pitch isn't braindead its fine. Usually there's then a coffee chat which is a group interview and behavioral focused questions, which isn't too hard as long you can think on your feet and don't get thrown off, and aren't rude or a weirdo. Usually ones cut are people who have terrible body language, get randomly flustered, or cut people off etc.
Final interview will have behaviorals from before and technicals from guides that they will email you but nothing you need to prepare far in advance imo. Have a tell me about yourself prepared, demonstrate you have an interest in finance, know your stock pitch company, and be able to mention something in the industry you find interesting and that you've looked into. This is also where your knowledge of the club comes in, cause most people are just gunners who spit out applications but can't actually explain on the spot why they actually want to be in the club.
Its pretty intuitive but if you're on the ball and motivated towards finance you will be able to land a club your freshman or sophomore year, and one club is all you need to succeed in getting into the pipeline to UBS workshop and a summer analyst role.
Go Bruins
4s up baby
Would echo what’s written above. Historically recruitment has been gatekept pretty hard by clubs and still is to a large extent, but becoming much more meritocratic especially this year.
Alongside USC/CMC, UCLA is an obvious target school for LA offices and places decently strong in SF as far as I know.
Honestly it’s a really small community, sophomores that recruited this year probably number less than 50, but seems like everyone has been landing solid offers.
Still would avoid going to UCLA if you have a better school available, as again, so much of it depends on student run clubs/organizations, and your odds go down a lot if you’re not in one of the main finance clubs.
I believe their is actually 5 top finance clubs on campus. Bruin Capital Management is the newest but has very strong placement, training, and connections. Can’t count them out, but otherwise a solid post especially for those considering UCLA in the 2027 cycle.
Congrats on BCM
Definitely don't see a lot of UCLA in NYC bulge brackets. But nevertheless, I didn't come from a feeder school either so it's not impossible.
Networking is key. Use linkedin to reach out to Bruins that have broke into IB from analyst to MD. Make sure to do your homework as you definitely don't want to waste their time. Ask for advice, not a job
A few questions coming here from an international student:
A)are internationals at any disadvantage during recruiting in general?
B)I was admitted as a pre-Econ, is studying econ much worse than business econ and can I study something completely separate, e.g. history, how that would affect my chances of breaking in, since the finance training anyways would be quite different to my Econ major since it’s a traditional academic subject more than a road-to-finance degree from what I can see.
C)It is mentioned that the organizations are very important at UCLA to break into IB/Consulting (my other field of interest), but how hard is it really to get into say the Undergrad Business Society, Sharp Fellows or the other main finance organizations on campus since the whole difficulty of getting in is usually not really described but a lot of people really do trash talk about UCLA saying how everything is dependent on frats.
E)I am interested in Management Consulting, perhaps more than IB, can you provide any insight or contacts from people who were breaking into the industry, how doable is that from UCLA?
F)I really like UCLA as a college experience, but I’m having a really tough choice between USC Marshall, CMC and UCLA right now, how would they be ranked for IB + Consulting, for me USC kinda gives the reverse gut feeling, so I’m thinking about UCLA vs CMC mainly.
Lastly, I’m very glad that here’s a discussion, which isn’t just pure exaggeration, and from which I can really get insight into how the recruiting is at UCLA. People seem to break in in adequate quantities, and it seems for me that in general it would depend more on my quality rather than the school I got into.
Apologies for a very long list of questions, but other discussion just seem to be a bunch of people focused on trying to dissuade people from UCLA for their reasons rather than describe the process of recruiting now, in 2023, but thank you in advance!
A. International students are at disadvantage bc not everyone sponsors. I got friends who are still grinding rn and their options are limited bc of their sponsorship
B. Study whatever you like. No major difference.
C. UBS is open to all, clubs are more selective. Workshop takes ~35-40 kids going forward, is supposedly the cream of the crop.
E. Learn your alphabet correctly. You skipped over D. I don't know anything about consulting since I recruited banking.
F. Go to CMC if want, is stronger on a per capita basis, but UCLA sends more in terms of number obviously and is growing quickly.
And you are correct, depends a lot more on the individual than any clubs you’re in, what school you’re at, etc…
You can look at the consulting clubs but it seems harder to break into management consulting than IB.Also I actually think econ is better than business econ because when people see “business” they think “easy fluff major.”
It is pretty hard to get into the UBS workshop because the spots are pretty limited and they ask you very difficult technical questions that are harder than what you’d get asked in interviews. I would say that the importance of being in a program/club for recruiting is pretty overrated. It’s still gonna be 90% dependent on you and your networking.
God I miss UCLA. Don't forget to enjoy kids. The campus, the weather, the social scene, etc...
Sko bru
One thing I guess I’ll add here as an alum is make sure you hit the local boutique internships throughout fresh / soph year. B Riley, cappello, etc. all are great to have on your resume when recruiting for junior year SA
Salem is also like 5 minutes from campus as well
Can anyone share any tips or advice for a transfer student interested in IB? I'm sure there are many students who did not or were unable to recruit into clubs/fellowships as underclassmen.
I haven't seen anybody from UCLA in BB/EB in NYC. They’re most likely recruited more heavily in SF and LA.
USC>>>UCLA
FIGHT ON! no trojan will ever be postin this.. but in all seriousness y’all really need to get an undergraduate business school, im sure you would place above us whenever that happens
Go Bruins.
Go Bears.
None of us is as strong as ALL OF US.
I know Hudson and Harry are a dynamic duo in bam and hard af
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