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I'd say make some great connections. Start networking on LinkedIn and cold calling if you want it that bad.
I appreciate your input TwoThrones. Believe it or not, I have made more than a 100 cold calls during 4-5 months last year just to land this internship in Birmingham. I went to NY last summer and held a bunch of informative interviews where I was told that a connection would be my best bet.
Confused about the end goal. Is it finance, or finance in NYC? If you go to the main U. of A campus, I would imagine that it wouldn't be hard to connect with alumni at smaller shops in southern cities (bham, memphis, houston, atl). Honestly, getting your foot in the door at one of these places then going to a great east coast b-school (btw, they prob don't get too many alabama applicants - a good thing for you) would probably be the best way to land a finance gig in NYC. Could you find something in NYC straight out of undergrad? Probably, assuming you have solid grades. But there are not going to be a lot of UA alums up there pushing for you.
Sorry for the delay fellas... My current internship/graduation coming up and job search are leaving me with no time to monkey around (excuses, excuses....I know!)
Graham2829, Finance in NYC to be exact. I don't go to UA, I am in a smaller public school in the central AL (main reason why I came here is because I got a full ride). My gpa is 3.8 and I have probably applied to around 300 positions I was able to find online. I have been networking on LinkedIn like an animal, but I am still empty handed when it comes to NY.
My current internship at WM in BB firm can run till the fall, but I am getting more and more anxiety as to the longer I stay there the harder it'll be to get into IBD in NY.
At this point I honestly think I would be willing to take a position of a clerk haha, just so I can make my way all the way from the bottom, as long as its in IBD.
It seems like best case scenario for you in NYC is going to be one of those low man on totem pole, crappy jobs. I get what you're saying about starting from the bottom (fire up the Drake...) and respect the sentiment to some degree, but why do that when you could possible start from the middle in the south?
I still think you're way better off trying to find something in the south through networking with alumni/family/friends, and then going to business school. If you can get a competitive gmat score, I think your story would play really well with adcoms. They love touting the diversity of undergrad schools represented, and I promise you there aren't going to be many (I'd put money on "any") people applying to Columbia from your school.
Another option worth considering is an MSF program so that you can get a better brand on your resume and a shot at OCR. Have you considered this? I'm generally not a fan of going to grad school with no real work experience, but seems like it might make sense in your case.
Glad to see you busting your ass (300...yikes), but recommend working smarter, not harder. How many of those applications are high quality, where you did some networking with company, talked to people that work there, etc.? My guess is not many.
Smarter not harder. Great advice.
I went to school in Alabama. Birmingham to be exact (that gives you one legitimate school to choose from). I now work in VC in NYC. Being from the South (grew up in ATL, went to school in Birmingham) actually helped me a lot in my interview process. Granted, the majority of my interviews came from personal connections, but my current job came from a connection I made through a connection. Polite manners, southern charm, a great smile and a firm handshake go a long way in NYC. I've found that being from the South almost makes you a novelty in a lot of situations. People think your accent is hilarious and usually think you're stupid, if you can prove them otherwise, you're like the white buffalo of the office. Everyone will be shocked. Sure, you have to be smart and be able to make important decisions at the drop of a hat, but if you're on this website reaching out for advice, I'm sure you've got half a brain. A sharp mind is critical, but some things such as treating people kindly, being honest and respectful are hard to find and quite simply can't be taught to just anyone.
In your interactions with people, sell your sharp mind first, but lay on the southern charm after that. If you want this bad enough, you will find a way.....
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