Targets seem to be too far of a stretch for me what are the good semi targets to break into IB

Currently a senior in high school looking at where I want to apply and looking at my grades I think the targets are a bit too much of a stretch for me so I wont even bother applying to them yet what the lower semi targets that can break me into IB, considering both east and west coast. Non-targets with good programs like rutgers rtws are also a possibility. Also let me know about my list. My HS GPA is a 3.4 as of end of my junior year I know its terrible, freshman I slacked off and junior and sophomore years I turned around and tried my best to make the best of it.

Current List

Rutgers

Texas A&M

Fordham

Michigan State

Lehigh

23 Comments
 

Finally my people I think transferring after first year from state school and keeping your grades up first year so you can transfer to a target might be better option though.

 

I am looking into that option but state schools only and no community colleges as I don't want to take that risk of not being able to transfer to where I want to and get stuck in a community college. I am from Canada and I'm not too sure going from a Canadian top uni to an American top uni would be as easy as state school to American top uni, so I would be going to America my first year anyways wether I would go straight to a semi target or state school but I feel like straight to semi target would be much easier.

 

Just incase you didn't know - you apply to American universities during the summer/fall of your senior year with your transcript up to junior year. So it doesn't really matter if you get your gpa up a bit senior year. Just start working on your apps and good luck!

 

You're naming schools that with a 3.4 G.P.A, OP has almost 0 chance to get into. UT and WashU are two of the most competitive state schools in the country. Not to mention you're suggesting Cornell and UChicago. Think OP should apply to low semi/non targets that have some sort of presence.

ex: IU, PSU, A&M, Fordham, BYU

 
Most Helpful

Agree with you on the Uchicago part but I had a 3.4 unweighted GPA in high school and got into UT and a few of these other listed schools too. If you have a well rounded profile that can makeup for it with good essays/a good story that can incorporate your extra curriculars into it you'll have a shot at many of these competitive state schools as well.If you're not interested in transferring from an easy state school to a target then some of these should definitely be on your list :UT, A&M, SMU, IU, Illinois I guess but IU better, UMICH, NYU, UNC, UVA, BU. Some may be harder than others but i think this is a good starter list to work with and reconcile based on your location preferences and budget, add in a good amount of backups/lower tiers , + maybe 1-2 high level target for a total of 18-20 applications.Really depends on your story/extra circulars if your GPA is going to be 'uncompetitive' compared to your peers so find ways to stand out like a highlighter.

 

Fortunately colleges are more lenient when looking at freshman year grades. As long as you made up for it strongly in your sophomore and junior years, you should still be competitive at many schools. 

 

If I were in your position, I’d go to a community college or easy school (Baruch, Rutgers, Penn State, etc), get a baller gpa and extracurriculars, transfer to a target. Ideally, you’re able to transfer to a solid target after just a year so you have more time to network with target alumni and take advantage of on-campus recruiting

 

Also there's nothing wrong with going to a top Canadian school. Ivey/Western Ontario sends a ton of kids to GS.

Transferring is also tougher than getting in freshman year from a statistics perspective so you need to make sure your college freshman year materially ups your profile and candidacy. You fucked up early in your young adulthood and you need to work 4-5x harder to make up for that fuck up. That’s how it always works, similar to time value of money, time value of effort

 

Ivey is extremely competitive though. More so than most of the schools suggested by others in this thread. I doubt OP has a chane.

 

Yeah I have zero clue how competitive Canadian colleges are but I have a different perspective on competitive. I gunned basically only for HYPSM 11 years ago and even then the rates for those guys were 10% and Stanford was 5% at the time. When I see that Penn State is like 70%+ I just can't comprehend that because there are smart Penn State kids that I used to work with in banking and I have no idea how those two facts computed. 

 

Yeah, you should drop the notion of Ivey HBA/Queens Comm if you don’t have at least a 92 average minimum.

UBC Sauder is the worst because everyone is at Sauder and trying to get into IB; but, the best chance is through their Portfolio Wealth Management program which accepts 7 kids out of 2000 applications. Still, it’s the only program that’s comparable to an Ivy.

 

Sunt autem pariatur veritatis iure. Quasi beatae aliquam voluptatem necessitatibus vitae est reiciendis incidunt. Maiores cum et dolorem provident quis et. Enim ab earum totam aut repudiandae. Aut et non vitae commodi.

Illo culpa magni beatae id. Sunt sapiente repellendus odio quis quas quisquam est.

Non sint totam nemo excepturi voluptas fugit eaque. Et cum rerum sint in. Nihil ex nihil vel sit et deserunt.

Quia eos qui doloribus omnis ab. Quo labore et iusto recusandae ea. Molestiae dolores et quia est qui et. Esse in dolore nesciunt minus adipisci labore molestias. Possimus dolor consequatur atque id.

 

Et voluptatem repellat rem omnis non. Dicta esse rerum est. Repellat repudiandae magni non omnis.

Quae culpa dolores laboriosam quas sunt debitis at rerum. Sunt quia voluptas omnis ratione. Laboriosam sed quae quia qui voluptate iste. Cupiditate sit excepturi laborum quaerat laborum non autem cum. Unde at dolores molestiae ut. Consequuntur dicta quis molestiae sed labore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”