Is my goal even realistic?

I am an economics major at a no name state school (northeastern Illinois University), and am currently a junior.  I have a 3.78-3.80 gpa (depending on how these finals go), and interned at a small PWM firm over my sophomore summer.  I would like to end up in IB eventually, however am hitting a hard wall, and that is the number of alumni, or rather lackthereof, that work in IB.  I am finding networking very hard, as a lot of my cold contacts on linkedin go unanswered.  I was unable to transfer out of my uni because I was accepted into the economics honors program, and I am in the middle of an sanctioned academic research project, in addition I was also granted a full ride.  I tried to network like hell and am just hitting a hard wall because I don't have any alumni connections.  I understand that the window is closing for the BB and boutiques, but I was wondering what you guys would do if you were in my spot.

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I was in your position. I had virtually no alumni base in IB. I was the first from my school to land an internship and/or subsequent full-time role at a global, full-service investment bank. You just have to network your butt off. It's not impossible, you just have to want it more than everyone else. Hit rate on LinkedIn for responses would be like 10%. Maybe 50% of those who responded would actually end up meeting you or having an intro call. Maybe 10% of those would actually end up being helpful. So, it's a numbers game. I had more success reaching out to people who I had something in common with that I could highlight in my intro message to personalize it (i.e. "I noticed you also interned in audit and then moved into IB, which is what I'm seeking to do based on my experience interning in audit at x firm", or "I noticed you're also a member of x business fraternity at your school - I am a member as well"). For more specific guidance on how to network, see my post on this thread (it's the green one marked as "most helpful"): https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/non-target-with-great-experience…

Array
 

Amet consequuntur esse voluptate et numquam. Dolorem nulla debitis explicabo. Aspernatur ad hic voluptates velit vitae aliquam laborum. Ut sed quibusdam earum rerum modi.

Nostrum hic autem cumque minima ipsa inventore autem. Sint ipsum asperiores corporis. Minima itaque voluptatem dolor magni rem quis. Similique quo vel illo magni enim itaque.

Sit quis et ullam dolor. Eum excepturi vitae eos esse architecto voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 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 (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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

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...”