Why are diversity events so competitive?

Diversity recruiting is less competitive than regular recruiting. Doesn't mean you're screwed though.

Ummm, maybe cuz you’re a straight white dude?

Because just because people aren’t straight white males doesn’t mean that they’re grossly under-qualified?

The only applicant pool that is filled with ding dongs is for post-MBA associates

Edit: to all of the post-MBA Associates shitting on me — everyone hates you and I’d gladly rid of all y’all and spread that comp amongst the analysts who are actually doing the work

They're not finance wizard but privileged (most) kids go to top school just happened to be POC. Most of them went to Andover, Exeter, Taft, Deerfield, Choate, Hotchkiss

They are more selective on paper. When I recruited, I had super days at every bank that I wanted from a non target but couldn’t even get into one diversity event. So yeah it is more selective on paper since networking doesn’t carry that much weight as normal recruiting.

Definitely can relate to you, I applied to some diversity programs too late and got immediately rejected based on the fact that they had already filled up. Regardless, apply to the normal timeline and if you are a great candidate I'm thinking it won't matter much.

It might be because they're not sure which diversity pool you're in. If you don't have any indication of being a minority ethnicity or a woman or queer on your resume they have no reason to accept you just in case you're just a straight white/asian male who applied

^^Exactly; how is diversity recruiting more competitive or as competitive when the recruiting pool for regular recruiting is so much larger.  At my school the regular pool was easily 4x bigger for a smaller intake; apparently half the spots in my program this year went to diversity only which is very abnormal compared to past years but a reflection of the times.  Seem it's never been a better time for diversity recruiting.  

They are not competitive as much as they are random. Seriously, you may be a 4.0 in a combined finance and astronuclearthermodynamics computer engineering science at whatever the most target school is for that bank and still not get in. And you can come from a random school with a random degree and get in (the student will still be extremely competent as most of them are, but for IB, which is obsessed with elitism, it is indeed odd for this to happen).

I believe it stems from the idea that diversity programs have to be as diverse as possible, so banks look for students who would otherwise never get a look. The only criticism I would give to those programs is that the interviews tend to be much lighter than for the rest, which many times hurts diverse applicants as they end up hiring ppl who quite frankly, aren’t good enough to make it long term. It also creates a stigma that they “cheated they way in”.