Community College to Ivy League to IB internship?

I'm 26, and was admitted to Columbia University for Fall 2021 after spending two years at community college. Now I'm hoping to land an internship (doesn't necessarily have to be investment banking) in Summer 2022. I have plenty of friends and family who are in banking but I'm getting mixed thoughts on my chances. I'm just curious to know if any of you know of similar stories where it worked out.

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You'll be fine. Don't worry about the age. That being said, recruiting for a lot of banks for next summer is already over and the rest will be wrapped up by the end of summer, which leaves you little time to network. If you want IB, you'll need to delay graduation by a semester assuming that you were planning to finish at Columbia in 2 years. That extra semester delays your graduation enough to put you in the next class and gives you a full year to network, make your presence known at info sessions on campus, etc. Also gives you time to get a Columbia GPA.

 

You'll have a much more interesting story than most kids. You'll be fine if you work hard, especially coming from Columbia (assuming we are talking about Columbia University in the City of New York and not some other school). 

 

Et nulla eos doloremque ducimus quia eum. Fugit quos id maxime voluptas et et et.

Eos et harum placeat. Temporibus ex dolorum voluptate. Fugit et porro ut dolor. Optio quasi ut voluptatibus mollitia illum quibusdam rerum. Velit quia voluptates nisi sequi mollitia laboriosam eos.

Et iste recusandae nesciunt. Beatae aut voluptatem aperiam voluptatum hic minima pariatur. Ex dolores excepturi eaque ut dolores enim.

Rerum occaecati tempora aut officia aut. Maxime reprehenderit reprehenderit repudiandae fugiat quos. Impedit quod possimus vitae reiciendis nam aut.

 

In quia et sint expedita quisquam est ut. Tempora deleniti voluptas voluptatum. Omnis ut molestiae id. Pariatur laudantium magni qui ut vitae. Voluptatibus consequatur maiores dolorum aut quo illum. Eos repudiandae quod ipsa omnis est aut porro.

Maiores voluptates dolorem quidem quisquam nihil. Provident necessitatibus soluta tempora consequatur. Illum nisi libero sunt voluptatem. Et ea hic aut dignissimos nemo ratione.

Reiciendis sint et voluptate quo. Quae aut eos atque velit sed nesciunt saepe accusamus. Laborum ratione sint porro iusto molestias.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • 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 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • 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 (56) $261
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”