Does it Truly matter where you go to school for IB?
As the years go on I am noticing that the big firms are becoming more diverse in recruiting and bringing in people even if they’re not from a target school. I have been busting my a** to transfer to a top school to get into IB. I will be transferring with a 3.9. I hope I get accepted at George Town, Wharton, NYU etc. I am also in the military so I hope that gets my foot in the door and noticed. I am tired of staying indoors doing homework all day, missing out on friends, events and life in general. I keep telling my self that this will pay off soon but if I keep going this route I am going to miss out on my 20’s and the best moments of my life. Is it really worth it to get into a top or reach school? Also what is the recruiting process like at these schools? I have no idea what to expect.
Yes, if you want the best chance to get into IB, it matters. The difference between non-targets is marginal, but the difference between non-target and target is exponential.
You can also be at a target and have a life, manage you're time effectively and you can have fun, get a good GPA, and recruit.
Being at a target means you already have minimal social life (at least the type it seems you are looking for) because you are studying all the time. Being at a non-target means you have to spend free-time networking and differentiating yourself. At the end of the day, everyone breaking into IB knows they have to sacrifice having a “normal” college experience (ie partying/sex/drugs etc). You can still have fun hanging with friends and stuff, but in different ways. Not saying you have to have no life, just not an optimal social college experience
I disagree, I'm at a target and can't say my social life has been affected in the slightest... intro fnce and acct classes were pretty good prep for interviews and most people around me were also recruiting.
As a nontarget who broke into BB IB, it's possible but a pain in the ass. I started networking freshman winter and built a network in the 100s.
It’s a world’s difference compare to my HS friends at H/Y/P/W. They just had to reach out to 1-3 people per firm to get into first rounds/super days.
Also target students have better access to exceptional internships. At my nontarget, only diverse prospects got BB IB soph gigs whereas you can find both diverse and non diverse students from Harvard in those programs. Meanwhile, as a non-diverse nontarget, I had to fight for crap search funds, wealth managers, and no name no deal flow boutiques.
How many people did you talk to at the firms where you got the interview, and did your interviews mostly come from MD advocates or analysts?
Edit: Could PM if easier.
Right... so I can't really answer that because I was only a part of one process (the firm was too good for me to say no and I signed immediately).
For the two firms that I was confident I'd get interviews with (read as "verbal guarantees of interviews"), they came from relationships with VPs (each 5+ calls over the last year). After a while, each promised to get me into their process and connected me with their team. That's when I stopped networking with their specific group/regional offices/even the entire firm because I felt comfortable. I never got to follow up on those promises since I signed in April of this year, way before their processes kicked off.
This isn't how I treat other firms where I didn't find a magical unicorn VP though. For those places, I never stopped shooting out emails until the day I signed. At one bank, I had built up a network of 11.
Quoting @muh_knee
"Target and non-target students have the same 100m race to fun. Say the finish line is IB. They have the same legs and talents (work ethic, skills, etc.), but the target students start the race at the 50m mark. Half way there.
By that I mean both people can get to the finish line. However, it'll be easier, more streamlined process for the target student."
If you're scared of missing out on your 20s, why are you trying so hard to get into IB?
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