Sophomore transfer (am I fried)
I went to community college for a yr and I'm going to be transferring into my sophomore year, right around when IB recruiting starts. Currently got into Bowdoin, waiting on like ~10 other schools for results.
My actual problem is that I have zero finance experience. Most of my stuff is in philosophy, got a publication, work with philosophy related orgs, etc.
Is IB possible/worthwhile? I know I'm a bit late, competing with people with higher pedigrees and far more preparation, which is why I'm asking.
Also, how should my resume be structured? I saw others include their SAT, which I think would be a bit tacky, but I got a 1550 and I'm not sure what else I can put TBH. Any ways to strengthen the resume?
Thanks in advance for the tips.
Did you already get accepted ?
Yep.
Transferred going into my sophomore year as well and landed in IB at a highly regarded shop. This will not be a problem.
1. If your goal is IB / finance, weigh your options for next year accordingly when you choose what school to attend (duh).
2. Lock in some internship for this summer and try to add one for the Fall during school as well (most internships pre-SA are total BS anyway and you can find many remote / flexible ones if you are dedicated to finding them). Most students who recruit next year will have 2+ internships so this should see you through.
3. Try to join 1-2 finance clubs when you get to campus, but you don't have to force the issue if it doesn't work / you're busy making friends and integrating into your new school. I personally was not in any and had no problems networking or speaking to my experiences since I had the internships to fall back on.
4. Take networking very seriously and try to catch up on getting to know your school (e.g. meal plans, places to have fun, dorms all students live in) so that you have something to connect with alumni over when you get them on the phone - of course, with the added benefit that you integrate into campus more quickly.
5. MAKE SURE YOU ACE ALL YOUR CLASSES IN YOUR FIRST SEMESTER (GPA > 3.7). Your GPA resets at your new school and all you have to show for it during recruiting is your first semester. Take easy classes if you need to; just do whatever it takes to max out the GPA on your resume when you recruit.
1A. Transferring is a really unique college experience, so enjoy it: It might be tough at first, but it was one of the best decisions I've ever made both in terms of career outcome and college experience.
Aside: Definitely put 1550 SAT on your resume. It's a score to be proud of and indicates that you didn't choose community college due to lack of options.
In a very similar situation to OP, would you be free for a 15-minute chat sometime this week?
Not OP, but this is really helpful advice thank you. For getting your first internship how should I approach this? Is it like emailing search funds and boutiques in my area? Should I have previous modeling experience (I don’t rn lmao). I’m trying to transfer to a west coast target (usc, ucla, ucb) and targeting west coast finance if that helps.
Thank you for your time!
as soon as you decide on which school you'll attend you can start chatting with alum and current students on the clubs
current students have the best perspective on recruiting from their specific school (much more so than anybody here on wso)
Yo, similar situation here where life stuff forced me to CC for a little and then transferred to a 4 year the fall of sophomore year. Funnily enough also have a 1550 (put that shit on your resume asap). I landed a SA role at one of the Euro banks in NYC, it’s definitely possible just really important you have your story down pat (why you were at CC, how you found your interest in IB).
Weirdly, it can be a memorable factor for you while networking if you spin things right. Pm me if you want more specifics but you can definitely make it work. Best of luck
Bowdoin is good and is a good sign for other schools with a 1550 SAT. Assuming you get into another "target", I would go all in on networking, getting internships, and being immersed in the college experience. You should put your SAT score on your resume, but don't expect that to help you.
It will be tricky leveraging the school you will BE attending since the bulk of your education will have come from community college. That being said a good brand name plus alumni connections will serve you well. Bowdoin is a solid school academically, so you certainly have potential to crush IB recruiting there.
Given the lack of finance experience its important you frame what u have in the right way. Include all solid test scores and show how your seeminlgy unrealted experiences lend themselves to the IB intern tool kit... ciritcal thinking, quantitive abilities, work ethic ect...
Looking for a fall internship at your new school will be a massive plus too (they are rare but non co op style school year internships do exist). You will hit the bulk of your recruitment/application cycle right as you've completed a decent amount of work experience as well.
Aside from that it's business as usual, cram the 400 questions guide, mock, and network (maybe even more so for you seeing as you might attend a semi or non target school).
Good luck!
1 year transfers who break into IB are way more common than you think. I think the biggest thing, is to stop looking at being a transfer as a weakness, and find out how you can leverage your experience into clubs internships etc. Being a 1 year CC transfer into a top school, shows that you’re gritty and you can use that to your advantage.
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