Western no Ivey: anyone done this and gotten into ‘High Finance’?
As the title suggests.
Transferring to Western business this coming fall as a rising sophomore. My goal has always been to work in REPE and was going to go the IB route to do it, but….with high competition and a lack of Ivey due to money, was going to pivot and go headfirst for investment sales then fight for REPE.
So I’ll be graduating with a Western finance degree, no Ivey, and want to end up in REPE. Is this possible or am I insane?
Current Ivey student. It will be tough, but always possible. I also recommend reconsidering Ivey despite the cost, as you will have a far better chance of breaking into a top industry/job. Even though you will have lots of student loans, you will be able to pay it back if you break into a top industry. If you're adamant in not going to Ivey or unable to get in this is what I would do based off of my friends who broke into top industries from Western BMO's. Aside from joining the top western clubs for high finance (WIC, WCM, WFN) you need to become a complete hardo and network with as many alumni as possible. LinkedIn should now be your most used social media platform. You also need to know your technicals like the back of your hand, so start early and grind those. You should be spending more time studying technical than your actual courses. Lastly, you need to have a good story, you need to make sure it aligns with your current/previous experience, and it needs to portray why you want to break into your industry of choice. Best of luck, don't be discouraged. Remember, you have kids from UBC, Waterloo, Laurier getting top IB internships, so Ivey is never necessary.
This is immensely helpful, thank you. Recently started on DCFs and have solid stories but still feel like I'm way behind man. If I can ask you one last thing: what can I do today to legitimately be more competitive for junior year IB internships (in regards to technicals)? I have some BIWS materials (3 statements, DCFs, overview of financial modelling) but feel like none of it is tangible in the way a class at school is. I get it on paper but wouldn't be able to contextualize it all in an interview setting. The modelling overview especially is pretty elementary; more memorization-based than practice-based
Find all the individual breaking into wall street guides, not just the 400 questions document (you should be able to find it online). Purchase the book called "Investment Banking" by Rosenbaum, but if funding is an issue, it's quite expensive so it's not neccessary. There are many youtube videos on modeling that complete a DCF or Comps from scratch and it goes step by step. You will not have to do modeling tests for internships so you should worry about the guides first. It takes months to fully understand them, of like 3 hours of studying a day.
Unfortunately you also have to set expectations, if you have no prior experience and you're not cracked with your technicals you will not break into any big banks for IB. If I were you I would worry about getting an internship at a bank for your second year summer internship, even if its not in IB (It won't be in IB, only like 1-2 people I know broke into IB for second year). You need to network so hard, and know your stuff (study the guides). Junior year apps for IB will open in January of your second year for the states and a bit later for Canada, so you have a while to know your technical and network. Target the Big 5 but also target the boutiques and middle market banks in Toronto. Lastly, try breaking into Ivey. Do everything you can; start a club, do something special and get good grades. You're a bit behind but not by much, keep grinding and everything will work out.
Just remember, no amount of studying is ever enough. You're going against kids who knew they wanted to go into IB since high school and have been grinding the guides since then too. Having relevant work experience, networking, knowing the guides, getting good grades is the baseline. You need to separate yourself by crafting a compelling story. All the best.
How about the fact that Ivey has 1000+ people coming in each year with fewer than 50-100 “top” jobs…. Simply not worth the cost, at least in this scenario.
Oh another note, there’s a lot of scholarships you can apply to.
Great point, been hearing this a decent amount lately, where lots of people just grind to get Ivey, don't network a ton and end up in Big 4 Audit like Western BMOS (Business) grads...interesting. More to finance than IB I suppose, right?
Sent you a PM!
First off, you should try to go to Ivey if you can. Taking on the debt is worth it. You can still apply even as a third year BMOS student if your grades are too low in your first 2 years. Ultimately, it opens a lot of doors and gets you access to the best alumni network in Canada for finance. Ivey alum are probably not going to respond as much if you are only in BMOS, to be completely honest.
However, I brainstormed a couple ways you could break in while staying in BMOS:
Ultimately, you should aim to get the best possible internship you can, and even if it's not IB at a Big 5 (or the US), aim for a smaller boutique willing to take a chance on you. Otherwise, aim for an internship in a tangentially related field like the ones I mentioned above. With enough relevant work experience you can overcome the barriers of going to BMOS instead of Ivey.
Best of luck, soldier.
You sneaky bugger you...just kidding, but thank you good sir. A quality finance internship this summer (and maybe a part-time one during the school year) is non-negotiable. Networking and prepping technicals as we speak! Thanks for the reply
Honestly would take a loan to do ivey. Ur income if u make it will be multiples of the cost. Also u can take a gap year before starting ivey to do 4 internship which can help cover cost
Aut doloremque nihil sint. Repellendus animi dicta mollitia id numquam voluptates. Voluptatem dolor architecto dicta velit. Possimus ad vero rerum nobis facere corrupti tempore. Aliquam et rerum deserunt impedit vitae. Aut est ea mollitia dolores atque. Minima sit ipsa sint consequuntur laudantium.
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...