Moving into Investment Banking from a Non-Target University

Hello everyone,

I am a 21-year-old student currently studying Business with a minor in Finance at a non-target university in the UK. I have a predicted grade of a first and I am currently doing a placement year as a junior analyst in a consultancy firm.

After this placement year is done, I will have the following experience;

  • Junior Analyst - In a consultancy firm.
  • Internship (3months) Designed Financial and Corporate applications as a software-house.
  • Internship (3months) Anti Money Laundering 
  • Internship (3months)  Analysis and development of a cloud-based HR and digital document management software.
  • Financial Advisor for a Charity Organization (6 months) (Not paid) directed financial operations for a charity organization which last year surpassed $200k worth of operations throughout aiding the earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria.

I am fairly  knowledgeable compared to my alumni on M&A's, IPO's, Capital Increases, and IB related knowledge and do well answering interview questions.

Feeling like I should have narrowed down my experience to what I wanted to pursue but hey, I am still young and getting hands on experience on various things helped me a ton on exploring my interests and skills. I am considering pursuing a Master's degree in Finance with a target university like UCL or Imperial or Warwick, but I would prefer to go straight into investment banking if possible.

How should I move from here? Should I try to get a SA job in between graduation and Masters? Additionally, I am lacking connections in the investment banking sector. What can I do to improve my connections and increase my chances of getting into investment banking?

Sorry for the long post,

I would greatly appreciate any advice or insights from those who have experience in the investment banking sector or have gone through a similar path. Thank you in advance!

1 Comments
 

Error quasi est amet aperiam non quo perferendis. Omnis architecto nostrum voluptatibus aliquam. Atque blanditiis deleniti ea nobis dicta ea deleniti. Possimus consequatur mollitia accusantium quis numquam incidunt ut.

Qui accusamus rem perspiciatis fugit sed fugiat sed. Laborum iure exercitationem ducimus doloribus minus nemo. Ullam reiciendis neque sint aliquid sapiente. Cupiditate nostrum sit eveniet aperiam autem.

Voluptatibus voluptas quos impedit repellat. Sed qui dolorem molestiae quia sunt labore blanditiis. Harum repellat et illum dolorem aspernatur. Alias quasi dolores blanditiis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”