Advice for aspiring investment banker
Just to introduce myself, I'm a high school senior that's going to be attending Queen's University in Ontario, Canada next September in the Bachelor's of Commerce program. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get my foot in the door for investment banking in New York, London...(not Canada). Are there any internships that are available for students that aren't in university/college yet? What should I do once I'm at Queen's to make sure I stand out and to be able to compete against the American Ivy-League Schools?
Thanks, I appreciate any advice!
Use the 'Search' function at the top of the page. I think that will answer most of your questions.
If you still have questions after that you should post then.
thanks, I just thought my situation was kind of particular considering I'm going to university in Canada but want to work in investment banking outside of Canada but I realize a few other people have posted similar topics
Some Queens BCom students got 3rd year summer analyst internships at Goldman Sachs/UBS/Merril Lynch (NY, London) after doing banking internships in 2nd year (usually with a Canadian ibank). so 2nd year internship is quite key if you want to look overseas
I'm going to be an Ivey AEO, so I'd like some advice regarding this topic as well if possible.
Don't mind Toronto at all.
Thanks a lot.
To be honest it's not that easy unless you do as jaz said, but you really have to be at the top of your class.
Alternatively, if you are not at the top of your class, but are still solid and have a good 3rd year internship, you could always do a one year masters in the UK if you want to work in London, and try to get an intern spot their before you start your Masters. It worked out for me.
You could also do a year abroad for your 3rd year at a school in the US or UK that has heavy SA recruiting. I know some Ivy's have exchange programs, so do some top UK universities.
Hey dixm, I've read that Ivey has a pretty extensive alumni network in Toronto so it should be relatively "easier" for you to get in there as opposed to New York, London, Paris...
Thanks a lot for the advice jaz, I'm thinking of doing a course like The Analyst Exchange or Wall Street Prep, do you think these would help in getting a 2nd year internship in Canada or 3rd year at a BB Investment Bank in the US?
Also, Queen's has an exchange program in 40 different countries so maybe it would be beneficial to go to one of these like you said ab123, it will definitely be something I will have to consider.
Thanks a lot for the help so far!
Bulge bracket banks that recruit at Queen's commerce:
UBS, Goldman, Lehman, CS, MS, ML
These are usually for local Toronto offices but in many cases there are students who interview for (successfully) other locations.
Its not impossible (or hard) at all. The education you will be receiving is absolutely fantastic and will (aside from the lack of brand cache) give you a leg up on Ivy league econ students who aren't too familiar with finance.
My advice, stop using the word "aspiring" One shouldn't 'aspire' to be a banker, you should aspire to be a doctor or something useful
lol I guess you would aspire to be a doctor if you were interested in chemistry and biology. But since I'm interested in finance and business I'm more interested in investment banking. I guess it all comes down to what you prefer.
You should be fine. Keep your grades up, network with people in the industry and ask them to connect you with people in NY or London and I suggest taking a financial modeling course because it shows you are really eager to learn. Take Analyst Exchange as they have the best instructors - Goldman and Morgan bankers - and their teaching style is awesome. You will learn a lot.
Monkey Business and liar's poker... at least 3 times each.
in all seriousness, find 2-3 activities in which you can be the best. don't spread yourself too thin. be exceptional in a few things.
also, good grades won't hurt. also might want to think about taking the cfa (although i'm not sure if an UG is a requirement to sit for it).
might also consider trying to graduate one year early and do a 1-year masters at a place like LSE (go study finance/economics) to help you stay on a 4-year timeline, while getting a great school/name on your resume.
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