High Hopes to 3.6% Odds

I'm really struggling to make sense of this.

I took the WSO Odds Calculator quiz, and even with a high GPA from a target school and solid internship experience, it's telling me my chances of breaking into IB in the US is low.

I always thought being at a target school practically guaranteed a foot in the door in IB. Now, I'm here scratching my head – is there something I'm missing?

As a student from a well-known target school, this really threw me off.

Is the US VISA requirement really such a game-changer? It's surprising how much it seems to impact the odds, even with a strong academic and professional profile.

Does anyone know how this calculator works? What factors could be dragging my odds down this much?

22 Comments
 

What is your GPA exactly?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Yup, don’t bother applying you won’t get in because of those odds. Getting into IB is kind of like getting into Harvard, but you can always go to fp&a (Rutgers) in case it doesn’t work out for you 

 

Yeah, happy to do a livestream at some point going over the logic of how we set various factors /handicaps... You're likely getting super low odds because you selected elite boutique and/or BB IB. If you had put any finance or even any IB your odds would be significantly higher, although in the US, needing a Visa is a massive handicap and limits your odds dramatically. 

 

You guys conveniently excluded the (probably) single most important factor of whether or not someone will break into IB: diversity. From a nontarget, it literally 10xs your chances. From a target, it makes them effectively 100% at least for a BB/MM. I understand it’s a controversial topic, but any “percentage” calculator for breaking into IB is laughably inaccurate if it doesn’t take that factor into account.

 

I don't know the calculator and not much more about you, your post doesn't say that much.

Are you an international student in the US?

If yes:
F1 -> CPT/OPT -> (extension) -> H1b (or E/L,..) -> GC -> citizenship
(this is only high level, does not include other options, and does not have any details of your situation)

At each step your odds will be impacted by the economy, competitive market balances, luck, skill and more. It is impossible to say what will happen. All you can do is try.

There are plenty of internationals who land a visa sponsorship and a job. There are also many who move to Canada, the UK or elsewhere.

 

Here is the deal: you have less odds than you thought you would coming from a target. One thing I thought in undergrad was that I would be basically handed opportunities with ease because of my background. I soon found out this was not the case. So what do you have to do? Hustle. Hustle hard. I saw that part of the quiz involved “how many people within the industry are you talking to?” This is key.

Leverage your alumni network, which should be strong and interview as much as possible. It’s only November, so you still have a lot of time if you want it badly enough. Maybe you won’t get into an EB and only get into a regional shop, but you can always grind it out there and lateral to a better shop or get an MBA and go from there. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Hustle. Hard. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

-

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

image-20231124222837-1Super stoked to get a guaranteed job in finance next year, and a 5% chance to get two at the same time. Truly so lucky and blessed.

 

Congrats

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Voluptatem labore facilis eum. Voluptas distinctio error repellat aut consequuntur voluptatem. Dolor sequi beatae voluptatem.

Labore quae inventore omnis id. Ut aut fuga aliquid et voluptatem. Voluptatum at id eaque fugit sequi. Ipsa est pariatur qui quia praesentium maiores alias. Quam earum ut omnis ratione velit nam modi.

Et placeat autem ad deleniti et veritatis. Iusto unde id repellat qui hic quia repudiandae. Quis et dignissimos qui qui at tenetur.

Nemo est quia tempore asperiores voluptates quibusdam. Explicabo possimus maiores quo odit. Ut cupiditate aut et assumenda repellendus saepe fugiat.

 

Necessitatibus unde autem sed id veniam inventore. Repellat magni eaque ab in necessitatibus ullam.

Sint consectetur nihil magni doloremque consectetur. Omnis ad quos enim aut eveniet aut perferendis. Iure ut enim eius exercitationem vel qui.

Sit quasi aut ab autem. Quia rerum dolore officia fugit accusamus minima assumenda. Exercitationem velit aspernatur quae velit dignissimos est eaque. Fugiat perferendis odio aut maiores. Incidunt et accusamus sit iusto dolor qui sit autem. Et omnis tempora quaerat velit qui amet expedita. Totam consequatur quia qui.

Consequuntur eum suscipit voluptas unde maiores. Rem iusto assumenda laudantium dicta. Quis architecto nisi et est exercitationem dolorem. Ut sed eligendi iste totam deleniti.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • 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 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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...”