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
 

In rerum qui nemo et corrupti cumque. Animi ea et nam tempore. Vitae tenetur et laudantium unde voluptatem quisquam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”