Tips for a Non-Target

Just wanted to ask for some advice. 

I'm a student at a small liberal arts school in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. I realized I wanted to work in IB pretty late - at the end of my sophomore year. Before that point, I had two internships in machine learning, but nothing even remotely IB related. 

I took a leave from school to figure my life out and landed two internships at consulting firms: an MBB and a "Tier 2" firm. I completed those internships in the last half year, and I'm planning on returning to school next semester. 


I am in need of advice. 

I wanted to find internships in IB during my time off school, but it didn't really work out. Would my previous work experience in consulting help in landing a job in IB? 

What should I be doing during the semester to increase my chances? I'm part of the school finance club, but I know I'm not doing enough. I know that an international Asian male from a non-target with irrelevant work experience has no chance of making it into IB


One of the non-target posts I read mentioned taking the SIE to show motivation and interest in the industry. Would this make a meaningful difference as a junior, or would it be wise to spend my time elsewhere?


I would appreciate everyone's help in forming a plan, or a list of to-dos to significantly increase my odds.

 

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