Is it easier to transfer to a target or to network my @ss off at a non-target?

I'm an incoming freshman at a non-target in the northwest (UW Seattle), which has virtually zero OCR or any meaningful internships in the area. At this point, it's finance or death for me; I want to eventually do IBD or S&T.

Would it be easier to break into the industry by either:

A) Transferring to a target on the East Coast
(my HS GPA is not great (3.55, IB classes); SAT 2200)

or

B) Devote most of my energy towards networking (cold calls, alumni, any way possible)?

What does it take to transfer to a school like Stern, Haas, or maybe Wharton? How much will my HS grades weigh me down? How much would extra-curricular activities help me to get in?

And, realistically, how hard is it to network my way to internships in NYC all the way from Seattle?

Thank you! Any help is much appreciated.

4 Comments
 

depending on the school and program there may be specific course requirements that you have to meet. for instance wharton requires a stat class if you apply after one year of school and two stat classes if youre applying after two years (or something like that). i would check the websites for the schools youre looking at and have good chances of getting into (obviously your judgement call on the latter) and make sure you meet the basic course requirements for the program.

also just standard shit - get involved on campus (quality over quantity), get as close to a 4.0 as possible, yada yada yada etc

 

Harum nostrum harum deleniti. Molestiae vel maiores omnis molestiae eos quidem omnis. Ut nulla ut velit reprehenderit. Laborum aliquid enim nihil eius.

Eveniet quo aut nostrum provident fugiat voluptates. Qui cupiditate commodi reiciendis et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”