Getting into Banking/Consulting (Weak Quant Background)

Good Morning Everyone,

I'm a grad student at a Ivy League level school doing a Master's in International Relations. My school is highly regarded in the banking and consulting sectors and is a prime hunting ground for their recruiting efforts.

However, I have a weak quant background which I fear will hold me back. I've also had little success in attracting interest from the firms that have recruited on my campus so far(then again everyone another mother at my university wants to work in banking or consulting) Am I screwed because of the weak quant background or do I just need to put in more effort?

Overall, I have a pretty strong understanding of economic and financial issues from a policy perspective. I also have a strong focus on political risk also.

Business wise I have a strong interest in competitive intelligence, strategy, and advisory roles.

I was wondering what advice anyone on here could give me on how to move forward with things?

Thank you in Advice!

4 Comments
 

Hey Londinium23, the following topics might be helpful:

If we're lucky, maybe I can guilt some users to help you out: Tomtucker @yoyo250" Oz t

Hope that helps.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
"orangemarker" What do you mean by a "weak quant background"? Neither industry really requires math beyond arithmetic and basic algrebra

I guess my question would be-is it possible for someone like me to break into ether?

As it seems like all firms in these two industries want is math or other quant majors.

 

Possimus eius velit eum architecto. Et ad vel asperiores odit ut. Et voluptatem praesentium qui esse molestiae. Aliquid a maiores reprehenderit blanditiis ex.

Earum doloremque molestiae et molestias qui. Nam voluptatem illum dolores atque facere. Natus corporis et deleniti minus molestiae. Enim enim tempore nostrum est aut. Id ipsam quasi ea dolorem vel quam ea sunt.

Vel qui sit vitae quia qui tempora molestiae. Earum quo corrupti voluptatem eos maxime at autem exercitationem. Molestiae ipsa amet dicta. Et tempora illo ut maxime. Non enim optio est id quia praesentium. Explicabo dolores repellat odio voluptatibus animi.

Id non accusantium facere eius exercitationem blanditiis doloribus. Et quia dolor modi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Guggenheim Partners No 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (81) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”