Which Unis are better for breaking into IB
For reference, I am currently predicted A*AA and am hoping to increase the predicted to A*A*A to a A*A*A* after my mocks are completed.
I understand that target universities are the main goal but due to me being an idiot and not working hard during GCSE’s, I only meet requirements for UCL.
So if one choice of mine is UCL, i’m thinking about applying to 4 semi targets in which one should be my insurance. Currently my choices are between Bristol, Durham Bath, Nottingham and KCL.
Which of those semi targets would be best for breaking into IB in terms of alumni in the IB firms and which unis are best for securing spring week placements. Also which of those universities are seen as most prestigious as i understand Uni reputation matters a lot.
If going somewhere like Durham, does it hinder my chances of opportunities and is KCL actually a strong semi target for IB and is it only good for securing Ldn based internships/work experience
Based on the most helpful WSO content and discussions, here's a breakdown of your options and their relevance for breaking into Investment Banking (IB):
Target vs. Semi-Target Universities
Your Choices: Semi-Target Universities
Durham:
Bristol:
Bath:
Nottingham:
KCL (King’s College London):
Recommendations
Prestige Ranking (Semi-Targets)
Final Advice
Good luck with your applications and mocks!
Sources: UK Target Admissions?, UK Target Unis, The Case for Choosing a Non-Target, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/should-i-do-a-phd-at-an-ultra-target-university-if-i-want-to-be-an-ib?customgpt=1, Target schools for IB
The differences between the five semi's you mentioned are mostly marginal. If you’re deciding purely on prestige, go with Durham (mostly Oxbridge rejectees, traditional feeling). If you want to study in London, choose KCL—it also has the strongest international name among these. If you want to be close to London but still have a campus-university feel, go with Bath (it also has excellent year-in-industry options). Bristol is similar to Durham but more focused on STEM rather than humanities. Notts BSc Econ places well in finance, but overall the university is slightly below the others mentioned.
Ok, thank you so much for the information it really does mean a lot
Other commenter right. Only other uni you’re missing is Warwick - generally ranks below target and above semi-target (it’s a weird one).
Then again you’d have to study at Warwick, so…
.
If you mean you can’t find any posts saying Warwick is between Target and Semi then colour me surprised.
Targets: are obvious
Top-semis: Warwick, UCL
Semis: see other comments
But don’t let me lead you astray. UCL a very good choice
Could you please explain why you wouldn't class Warwick as a target because from what I've researched Warwick is counted as a target
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Warwick definitely places very strongly, but quite intuitively would you put Warwick at the same level as Oxbridge or LSE? Probably not. Then again it’s been some years since I went though the process.
I’m really not sure what that An1’s problem is but whatever, diversity of opinion is important I suppose.
In any case let me be clear, Warwick and UCL absolutely place strongly - you need only look at LinkedIn to see that.
warwick also not a bad option, but life there is pretty shit. bristol i think has lost some pedigree. at bath there are courses which are really good which force u to take two 6 month internships or one 1 year internship. heavily heavily underated as experience is king.
u can always consider redoing a gcse now btw to make ur application stronger.
what courses are u thinking of doing, i can give more specific feedback knowing what u wanna do
Thank you for the reply. Could you please explain to me why Bristol has fallen off a little and why Kings is very underrated ?
As for gcse's, I've been told that retaking makes your application weaker but only subject i would have to retake is english language at the expense of applying to ucl as they don't accept resists. Not too sure about whether Warwick or other targets are as strict when it comes to gcse resits.
I'm thinking about applying to Bsc Economics or Bsc Economics and Econmetrics. For Bath i intend to do a professional placement year and for the others, maybe a year abroad
He didn't say kings is underrated, he said bath is underrated because of their placement program
i think bristol is better regarded in its law programs than economics. i also dont see that many bristol graduates going into IB while there are more prospective bath graduates which have gone for example. if ur european, kings is ok if u wanna go back to home country and do ib there
also dont know your background or anything so take what i say however you want. looking back now, i think some of the strongest courses are statistics, statistics and finance or financial statistics, maths, financial mathematics. if you have any affinity for these i would consider them, they open tons of doors because they are slightly more stem focussed. that being said economics and econometrics is still an amazing choice.
and then on IB. i have a friend which is AN1 at a BB, he is not having a good time icl. make sure to keep your options open, if you choose IB all the best, its a very rewarding career but dont silo urself
You want to ideally meet the minimum bar of UCL/Warwick ideally on a Econ course there
If you can't you should consider reapplying after achieving 3A*s
Also other options are trying to scum a crappy course at LSE/UCL/Warwick. Something like LSE ISPP, UCL Management, Warwick GSD.
Uni > Course.
Semi-targets are fine, but if you really want to nail on IB recruiting you got to be in one of these
ok thank you
Work hard and go to Good School mate. You are one step ahead knowing you want to do IB, don’t fórum shop, work like a dog and go to targets!
alright thank you, i know it sounds stupid but how do i get the motivation and discipline to grind every day so i can make it to targets
To push back against some uninformed comments regarding Bristol falling off, in fact, they are doing particularly strongly for a solid semi target, for example, just below Imperial/LSE/Oxford/Cambridge and matching Warwick, in terms of who JPM targets recently:
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/jpm-sa-ldn-2024-class-profile
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