Is having drive enough?
I am a rising sophomore(3.5, hope to take it higher) at a non-target school in general(UIC), but we have one of the best undergrad finance programs in the nation(22nd according to US News). However, from what I have gathered, our school is still overlooked for career fairs/recruiting.
So is networking like there is no tomorrow/work experience enough to get me, and the many students like me who are stuck in the middle school wise, into IB/PE/Consulting?
Personally, I have already had 2 internships(PWM @ UBS, and Secondary Marketing at a mortgage company(creating MBS)). I don't know how UBS is viewed on this site, but would it be possible for me to get into UBS IB?(The co-head and MD of Americas M&A at UBS is an UIC alum)
I look forward to the dialogue.
Yes, Wall Street is littered with the corpses of wannabes who just didn't want it enough. If you pray really, really hard and wear a push up bra you'll definitely get it.
In all seriousness: 22nd isn't "one of the best". Networking like there is no tomorrow is not enough. You need to get better grades, network your ass off, blow them away in your interview by how well you know corporate finance and what a fucking awesome guy you are and work your ass off during your internship. Throw in a lot of luck and that's what it will take for you to get the job.
I mentioned the 22nd bit because our biggest competitor in Chicago, Depaul, is not higher than UIC, yet still attracts the likes of Citadel and J.PMorgan.
Citadel and JP Morgan don't go there for front-office positions, though.
Drive is arguably the only thing that matters, although you could argue that people who worked to get into targets during high school had more. There are also financial and other reasons that could explain differently, though.
Without even looking into it, I can tell you that if they recruit at Depaul, it's not for front office roles. Hell at my school (not Ivy, but a semi-target) Citadel only recruits for Operations, and Finance & Accounting.
If I were you, and not thinking about transferring to a better school, I would try very hard to build a bridge from your UBS PW internship to M&A. There are a couple of things you can do to do that. But start by contacting the head of your group from your internship to see if he knows the MD from UIC.
Obviously it's not easy to get a job on Wall Street even if you're from a target school and it's a strong economy. The stats you gave (3.5, non-target, 22nd ranked finance dept) don't put you in the camp of non-target candidates who would stand out in the resume pool. You'll have to strengthen your story (very interesting finance-related extra-curriculars, star athlete, recognized journalist, or something else spectacular) AND network like crazy to get into IB. Your best bet sounds like it's the MD who is a UIC alum. Work your UBS connections to find someone who knows the MD and ask for an intro. Make sure to give them a brief paragraph they can use or paraphrase for the email introducing the two of you. (read this for some pointers on what to include in your email http://bit.ly/zdPMY).
Other ideas to reach the MD or other people who could be helpful: Talk to the finance faculty at your school, the career services office, and the alumni office. If he's that successful, they know him. You just have to get them to put you in touch with him.
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