UIUC for IB, PE, and Consulting
Hi, I am a senior international asian female student and applied to these universities:
Accepted:
UIUC Gies
Minnesota + $20,000
Waitlisted:
NYU Stern ED1
CMU Econs
UMich Econs
+ USC Marshall appeal
I am definitely interested in finance (IB, PE, wealth/asset management and accounting bc uiuc has strong accounting program) and consulting jobs.
Do you think it’s possible to land good internships/jobs in these industries as a UIUC student or shall I start preparing for transfer applications?
(especially considering that I am an international student in today’s economy)
Yes, it’s absolutely possible from UIUC. Gies is a strong business school with a real pipeline into Chicago, especially for accounting, consulting, corporate finance, and some IB. Plenty of people build strong careers from there.
The bigger issue honestly is less “UIUC vs target school” and more being an international student in this market. Sponsorship narrows the field no matter where you go, so your focus should be networking early, getting involved on campus, strong grades, leadership, and targeting firms that historically hire internationals.
If you want IB or high finance specifically, Stern / Ross / Marshall would probably make the path easier if one comes through. But that does not mean UIUC closes the door. It just means you’ll need to be more proactive and polished.
I would not go into college assuming you need to transfer. Start at UIUC like you’re staying all four years. Crush freshman year, join the right clubs, recruit early, and then reassess once you have real results. A lot of students waste their first year obsessed with transferring instead of building a profile.
Short version: UIUC is good enough to get where you want. Your execution will matter more than the logo. If a stronger option opens later, great. If not, you still have a strong platform.
Hi, thank you so much!!
I was just a bit more worried bc I feel like being non-target + international would make it really hard for me to land a solid job, but it’s relieving to hear it has some presence in Chicago.
However, won’t there be UChicago and Northwestern kids also looking for jobs in Chicago?
I’m afraid that competing with them might make things a lot more difficult.
It was very hard to get a finance role for the 2027 cycle as an international this last year (almost no one got it that I know). It will be very difficult also from a school that's not as finance heavy (UIUC).
What i can say for transfer apps - if you had a good HS resume/activity sheet/GPA, you can transfer pretty easy to UChicago, Northwestern, Vandy, ND, and a few other spots like NYU. You may have to spend 5 years in college bc recruiting immediately is very tough, but transfer is worth it and can work out in most cases. Also if you're international you need to give yourself the biggest leg up.
If you want to transfer - get to UIUC and do a few things:
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