Target student 0/26?

I go to a target and am networking for IB. I’m sending cold emails to alumni and have been told by others my email template I good. I include my resume in the emails and have been told I have a very good resume. I’ve emailed 26 people in IB and no responses. Is this normal or does this indicate there’s something wrong im doing that I should fix?

37 Comments
 

Either you have some stats that are bad (3.7 gpa) or your target alumni network sucks. Kids I've talked to have not had this issue and can at least get 25-50% of their alum on the phone

 

My gpa is nearly 3.9 and I got to Georgetown. Could it be I have wrong email format for some banks? I have looked online and thru checkers to make sure I have the correct one though.

Perhaps is it that I’m including my resume in my emails and the company servers are putting it in spam? Or maybe that I’m using my school email to send these emails?

 

I go to Notre Dame with a 3.6-3.7 GPA but still get a reasonable response rate. I think there's something wrong with your email. 

 

This is my email template. Is it ok? If not, any suggestions? Thanks

Dear (name),

I am a sophomore at Georgetown studying Government and Economics, and I came across your profile while researching alumni in investment banking. Your path from Georgetown to [Bank Name] interested me, especially your work in [specific field or project if known] where I have had exposure to in [internship and/or club]. 

I'm particularly interested in M&A and would love to hear about your experience at [Bank Name] and any advice you might have for someone aspiring to follow a similar path. If possible, would you be open to a quick 10-15 minute call? For additional context regarding my background, I’ve attached my resume for your reference.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration – hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

(Name)

 
Funniest

I'm one of your alumni and I didn't respond because I could tell you were spraying out cold emails. 

 

I think it’s too long. You only need ~3 sentences demonstrating your interest for a coffee chat. Your alumni won’t respond unless the email can be processed within 5 seconds.

 

Pre-Holidays are just bad. My response rate between the beginning of the school year and Thanksgiving break was ~55%; now it's ~20%, and a few of the responses have asked me to follow up with them in January. 

 
Most Helpful

Thanks for the info. Whats concerning for me is that I’m 0/26. If I even had a 20% response rate then I’d understand that it could be due to the time of year. Do you think it’s my email template?

Dear (name),

I am a sophomore at Georgetown studying Government and Economics, and I came across your profile while researching alumni in investment banking. Your path from Georgetown to [Bank Name] interested me, especially your work in [specific field or project if known] where I have had exposure to in [internship and/or club]. 

I'm particularly interested in M&A and would love to hear about your experience at [Bank Name] and any advice you might have for someone aspiring to follow a similar path. If possible, would you be open to a quick 10-15 minute call? For additional context regarding my background, I’ve attached my resume for your reference.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration – hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

(Name)

 

My email template is pretty generic as well, I literally change one sentence per. Probably just got unlucky with who you're emailing

 

Quo perspiciatis doloremque velit est illum et. Molestias dolores ipsam voluptatibus nesciunt aut dolores. Est laudantium sint sequi magni minima voluptatem saepe. Autem culpa odit omnis harum occaecati. Deserunt sed molestiae nihil corporis ad suscipit dolor. Deleniti temporibus libero beatae ab voluptas aperiam corrupti iste.

Consequuntur ab atque laboriosam quis. Enim eos fugiat voluptatem ut. Iste aspernatur inventore doloribus. Architecto et illo ab odio sapiente. Maxime eum dicta itaque ut non et consequatur. Error aperiam eius saepe nihil quae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $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...”