Target school student can't get interviews for SA

Hi Monkeys,

I did my undergrad at a "super non-target" and managed to get into one of the "target European Masters". I started applying late (early October) for London SA but got rejections or ghosted before I even got an interview. I did 2 internships in Asia that are totally unrelated, I speak another European language fluently, and I am an international student (if that changes anything). However, it looks like I can't even get past screening for a lot of firms and am starting to run out of firms to apply for. I've been applying for internships in IB, Corporate Banking, and even started to apply for non-banking roles as I am starting to run out of SA to apply for. I actually got a response for non-banking roles and made it to the final steps but never heard back from my applications for banking SA

I would like to know whether that is due to the current market conditions or if there is anything I could do to improve my chances? Also would like to know what kind of roles would you consider applying for if you can't break in IB?

3 Comments
 

Which internships would be most relevant to break into IB or Corporate Banking?

 

Culpa eum accusamus assumenda aliquam atque deleniti minima. Omnis nostrum sed eveniet et. Placeat libero neque non dignissimos ipsa. Sint assumenda et quasi est maxime. Molestias consequatur molestiae vitae enim veniam.

Expedita dicta eum quisquam sunt architecto. Enim sed aliquam odit repellendus est.

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 (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”