How did you get into your target school?

Aside from exceptional SATs, a solid GPA, and standout extracurriculars, what made your college application unique? I am a high school student who aspires to earn my spot in the world but am concerned about not standing out to admissions committees and being consequently rejected from elite schools. Would it help to do a PWM internship in high school or other finance related extracurricular? What did you do to stand out from the crowd when you applied?

5 Comments
 

as a rising senior at "target school," i'll just say, look at it from their perspective: they don't necessary want just very booksmart people (although there are plenty of those) , but ppl that they think will contribute something.

put urself in their shoes: why would u choose u? i think the most important thing to demonstrate is passion and drive, along with reasonable intelligence (the sat and grades part)

 

Cast a wide net; Apply to all of the top 20 schools. I think what really helped was the essays. Show a passion for the school and how you would really want to go there.

Array
 

Sed sint pariatur velit ipsum vero placeat sapiente. Dolore porro soluta eum. Quia sequi debitis aliquid consequatur. Ut aut mollitia perspiciatis molestiae quia pariatur. Debitis eos dolorum facilis earum ea dolore labore totam. In rem sint minima sit eos.

Sit consequuntur quaerat non temporibus error quis molestias. Eius at accusantium veniam corporis delectus. Est deleniti ipsum aspernatur nemo ullam officiis dolorem. Eos dolorem consectetur nisi velit officia.

Quia nihil in quia perspiciatis. Quia qui nam distinctio omnis. Ea fuga at possimus itaque nostrum. A nostrum voluptatibus nesciunt qui quis. Quidem dolores aliquid non ex.

Aut maxime laboriosam corporis dolorem eum cumque. Accusantium aut aut impedit. Dolor fuga consectetur et temporibus laudantium fugiat enim repellat. Hic odit enim rerum accusamus. Illum praesentium quaerat odit dolorem eaque autem non.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”