3 Ways to Beat the Harvard Kids When Recruiting for Investment Banking Internships As Non-Target School Kid

Step 1: Have Daddy that has his own hedge fund make a couple calls...

Kidding (kinda). Big-shot IB internships in NYC aren't just for kids from the Ivy's. I went to a Big-10 school (non-IU) and had 3 offers from elite boutiques on Wall St.

Non-targets need to unite - so please steal my creative ways to land those Superdays + secure the internship like Rudy on the Notre Dame football squad.

1) Skip Spring Break in Cancun

I flew to NYC & met five bankers a day for coffee Mon-Fri of spring break.

While your boys are at Coco Bongo guzzling pina coladas, you'll be impressing bankers with your EXTREME dedication & willingness to go the extra mile.

They will remember the in-person chats 10x more than every other networking call - meaning 10x better chance at getting that resume pushed forward...

2) Network like a Machine

You'll be lucky if 5% of people you send emails to respond.

Ramp your numbers to MINUMUM of 10 emails a day.

Stalk LinkedIn to find bankers that you relate to (played same sport in HS, from same state) & slip that connection into the subject of the email.

You have to do triple the calls the Ivy leaguers do: I did > 60 calls in 3mo.

3) Win a Case Comp

No better way to show your understanding than talking about how you applied that knowledge.

If your school doesn't offer one - look to enter a public competition, there are a bunch listed online.

1 Comments
 

Qui nostrum sint placeat officia ducimus eveniet vero. Quasi autem atque error. Qui error ipsum laudantium sunt vitae voluptas soluta. Architecto libero qui fugit vel neque aliquid. Ex dolor itaque quae. Veniam dolores et similique ut laborum.

Et vitae et et enim autem. Et autem cum ratione molestias laboriosam reprehenderit. Animi nihil quod ad cumque iste cum qui.

Numquam expedita enim nesciunt sint ratione deleniti. Ex veritatis beatae est sunt illum.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 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

November 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

November 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

November 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

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...”