There is this man on Youtube who started a channel called Wall Street Mastermind named Sam Shiah. He advertises himself as someone who can get you into the IB industry from non target schools. I wanted to ask about your thoughts of him hear since I don't have much experience but can really use the outside help. Is it just a another marketing scheme?
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If you're asking whether or not it's a scam, it's not a scam. But there are definitely better uses of your money.
I was about as close to enrolling with them as anyone who did not sign on. Here's my opinion:
The program does work it looks like, and I do think the success rate is legit from people I know in the program, But the marketing scare techniques and price was my objection.
First, they constantly tout this 1% acceptance rate that people have into getting into IB, which is true, for 1 job posting (BTW that's not too different than any finance internship). But, almost everyone applies to multiple banks, so much more than 1% of people end up getting into 1 bank out of the 10+ they apply to. Comparably, med schools have about a 5% acceptance rate, but 40% of people end up enrolling at a med school. (Remember, it's free to apply to IB unlike med school, but make sure you network though).
Next is the price. It was $6800 for me (I was non-target low GPA), and it's just not worth paying that much for a mentor. Just branch out on LinkedIn or an IB club at your school for one. If you gotta drop 2 or 3 figures that's fine, but 6800 is ludicrous for a mentor.
I would only consider signing on if you are 1000% sure you want to do IB over any other career, have 5 figures laying around and you can't get into your school's ib club.
My advice: Networking takes effort and personalization (Why I reached out to you), Technicals the guides should be fine, and behaviorals mock with someone
Thanks for the input, appreciate the reply!
Hey! I'm literally where you are rn. At the verge of signing but my gut feeling tells me not to and just grind on my own. Can you PM me, would love to get your reasons why you didn't join and what you did to grind yourself?
Pretty much all he does is tell you what you can find on this website for like $7000. The process is grueling but its not difficult to understand the steps. 1. Network 2. Have Good Grades 3. Be able to speak and have an intelligent conversation 4. Know the technicals - If you can do that you don't really need his help. From what I've seen he tries to scare people by saying the "process is already started" / "you're already behind". Plus even if you can't get into banking out of UG, you can always work your way there.
Dude are you kidding??? $6800 for a “mentor”???
You’ve got two options:
1) Pay this guy $6,800
2) Browse WSO for a few days and learn all the same shit for free
Up to you.
I was very close to enrolling in this. The marketing scare tactics really turned me off as I found it unethical. I’m sure they have a good program. However, for its value I feel that it is overpriced. But for anyone with money who wants certainty of getting into IB, I’m sure that it will work for him or her.
Lol noted, thanks for the advice
No Problem,
Heads Up: They are extremely aggressive salesman and if you decide not to enroll after meeting they will take a while to get off your back.
or 3) Browse WSO and learn a lot and invest $500-$1,000 to learn more from our courses ...if you want live 1-on-1 help, get a resume review + 5-10hrs of mentor sessions and now you have access to a huge library of interview + financial modeling courses AND you get direct edits for a resume review AND a ton of mock interviews from a pro (over 1,000 mentors now to choose from)... it can be done for under $2k.
Good luck!
Patrick
Not trying to be biased here but um yeah I would listen to Patrick. Its a no-brainer. Independent study on technicals is important to grasp with no hand holding- with enough reps of course :)
Makes me wonder if your price point is too low if this guy is raking in $6,800 a pop. Wonder how much business he is doing?
“A few days of research” has turned into a few years of being addicted to this site lol.
I talked to Sam once, and he's a nice person (definitely not a scam). My only comment is that you're going to learn more (and save more money) if you learn how to network, handle technicals, recruit, etc. on your own through some trial and error and conversations with people. It's similar to hiring a personal trainer; some people need to be told what to do, others can figure it out / intrinsically motivate themselves. I do think learning how to learn is pretty important though, and if you just pay someone to cut corners, you miss out.
I've talked to Sam, and I know someone in the program who actually got an internship, so it is legit. But as stated before it cost a lot and that the reason why I didn't do it. I think this is a great program and if you are willing to put in the work and money he will get you there.
It’s by definition not a “good program” due to the exorbitant cost. You can get the same benefit from a week of research online.
I personally hate this guy--trying to bring his Berkeley toxic mentality to the world of IB, baiting parents who paid thousands to SAT prep tutors to now do the same for IB. The way he markets his shit is disgusting and reason why ppl in the bay area/berk are depressed lol
Has literally nothing to do with Berkeley or the Bay Area...have no idea what you mean by "Berkeley toxic mentality" either...
- alum
Maybe more attributed to people from the bay area--always competing, chasing job prestige constantly, judging people, always talking about career shit and having a 1d personality related to just ur career. Just look at all the consulting clubs at berkeley LOL they're so cringe
i despise him and let him know on all of his facebook ads that clog my feed
LMFAO I don't even know what this is but $6,800? Wtf? 😂 is the instructor really charging $6,800? I'm sorry but you gotta be dumb as fuck to pay someone $6,800 for that. That's a down payment for a house with an FHA Loan.
he tried to gaslight me to join his program telling me how my resume sucked and i was way behind/didn’t know what i was doing etc. i didn’t join his program and went thought the process by myself. at a semi target and will be interning at a bb this summer
Haha same... granted at the time I hadn't started prepping technicals yet but I was still like 1.5 yrs out from SA2021. Basically scared the living fuck out of me. If the program was like 3 digits I honestly might've been scared enough into buying it but I wasn't gonna drop a few grand.
Ironically, him scaring the shit out of me really lit a fire under my ass. I'll be interning at GS/MS/JPM this summer so thanks Sam!
congrats!! that’s exactly my story. he totally completely scared me i had to get it together
Lol! Same! He also told me I probably wasn't going to land any offers. Ended up bagging a few BBs including JPM IB.
he tried to gaslight me to join his program telling me how my resume sucked and i was way behind/didn’t know what i was doing etc. i didn’t join his program and went thought the process by myself. at a semi target and will be interning at a bb this summer
Hi guys, I'm a WSMM client, but obviously don't care at all whether or not you join, but just wanted to give some context. It's not the best fit for everyone, but it definitely can be for many. In my case, I got the best IB offer in my nontarget (only one to get into a BB), and joining the program was, not all, but was definitely part of that.
Whether or not it is a good investment for you just depends on your situation, if you go to a top target then it may not be quite as good of an investment, but if you go to a nontarget then having a coach (as opposed to a mentor) who is smart and knowledgable really could be the difference you need, as it was for me.
There are a lot of people out there who hire college admissions coaches for amounts not far off from what Sam charges, and that increases, but doesn't guarantee, their chances of getting into a better college. So it's kinda like that. For me personally, I actually don't know anyone in the program that didn't get into IB. Maybe think of it like a target school IB workshop/club. You get an experienced coach and a community that is hard working like you are, but there is an entrance fee to get in that is a portion of what you pay for tuition each year anyway. It's no doubt going to improve your chances, it's just how much is that marginal improvement that you have to weigh. You could also think of it like insurance: it could make a difference in which case you're glad you did it, but if it turns out you need insurance but didn't get it, well you're kinda fucked then. Anecdotally, I don't know anyone in the program who regrets joining, but I do know many outside the program who do regret not joining.
If you are a Wharton kid who started recruiting in high school and you are probably gonna get in anyway, maybe you don't really need his help. But if you go to a nontarget that historically doesn't place people into IB, or mostly places people into lower quality IBs, as was the case for me, the program will definitely make a difference for you. If you're somewhere in the middle, like a target school kid but don't feel as set as everyone else in your school, or a nontarget that could get into banking but is not super confident, that's where you have to think a bit about whether or not it is right for you.
Just think about your situation and the probability of getting in on your own, and then reflect on what it would be if you had a coach that could help you with every question, every day, and give you a proven path to follow. It's an investment, which like any other investment, could be good for some and not as good for others, so weigh its costs versus benefits keeping in mind the quality and cost of alternatives, and make an investment decision as an investor would with any investment.
*Sam Shiah has entered the chat*
Sam is great. But I’m not him. Whether or not he did post here, it’s the quality of the message that matters not the poster.
I got a great scholarship to my school, and paid mid 4 figures for the program. I just think that the people who paid 50x what I did for WSMM in tuition to go to Wharton or Harvard to get the same outcome calling my path a scam is pretty damn funny.
Seriously guys just do your due diligence and if it makes sense, invest without fear, and if it doesn’t, then walk away...
Spend $6800 on your relationship with Allah instead
thanks for typing all this Sam, really appreciate it
lol sam is that you?
Lmao he made a reddit page for his site and made fake 1-comment profiles to ask questions in it
He told me I wouldn’t get in without his help and how it’s better to have him than an actual mentor who CURRENTLY works in IB.
I obviously didn’t take his help and got into a top industry group. As a non-target who happens to be an asian who also happens to be an international student and who also happens to be a male.
If I can do it, so can you (without his help of course).
Hi there! I'm exactly in the same boat as you. An international girl in a non- target school.. I just talked with them and idk if I should spend that much( because I don't have that sum lol) but I want to get into IB so bad that I'm willing to use my credit card. I have a near 4.0 and good finance internship experiences. I'm also a non-stem finance major. I suck at interviews and networking. I would appreciate any/all tips!
I am working with a different coach who is a current banker that I paid a similar amount. This is key here.... for me hiring a coach was an amazing investment. You don't need a coach for resume review, networking help, or figuring out how to apply. I think if you need to pay five grand for that, you probably have bigger fish to fry.
What I have found the most valuable is the ability to mock interview with a banker, the same banker who you can build a rapport with, over and over and over again. The WSO materials and the 400 are great starting points, but no PDF can replicate a snarky banker cutting you off in the middle of one of your stories to ask you a clarifying question. Getting interview reps helped me build the intuition I needed to answer technicals in a thoughtful way (especially as a liberal arts major) rather than just memorizing the steps of a DCF.
I'd be super grateful if you could DM me the contact info for your coach! I'm also looking for something like this
Hello, could you pls DM and let me know the contacts of your coach?
I’d really appreciate it! Thanks.
Just chiming in but might be a good idea to use WSO mentors that work in the industry, if the person doesn't reply. I haven't used it but tbh I'm planning in the near future :D
hey i know this is really late -- but by any chance possible you could share the contact info of your recruiting coach? many thanks
WSMM client here so I will try to give it to you straight with no biases.
If you can get into your school’s investment banking club/biz frat that has a high placement rate for IB, then you should join that and save the money.
If you go to a non-target or could not get into the IB clubs, this program definitely may help you. But if you are a freshman or senior in high school right now, you have time to learn everything by yourself but if you are getting into IB late, it will help you tremendously.
I transferred in as a junior and did not know where to start. I have decided to delay graduation to pursue 2022 SA and honestly if I did not have the program, I do not think I would be jn the position I am in today. Definitely helpful and worth it in MY case. YMMV
Had an info call with them. Dude showed me some mock interview of one of his students from last year who “got a job with GS in their TMT, best job in banking.” I looked her up, just nowhere near TMT GS
lmfaoo
Sam Shiah is:
1) a clown
2) currently sock-puppeting in this thread (like he has on Reddit, etc.)
Don't give him a dime,
I agree
I am beyond annoyed from seeing the ads from this guy. Every single youtube video I watch I have to listen to him and I'm so frustrated by it.
Had an introductory call with him. The guy is a trashy sleeeezy salesperson. Will try to use scare tactics to the max and tried to downplay my family’s financial position (average middle class but not ready to dish out 7k for an online course) stating how its a great investment that i will awfully regret down the line if I dont do it.
Long story short. Fuck Sam Shia. All my homies hate Sam Shia.
I had a call with him back in the day when i was starting the recruiting process. I was just weighing my options. He asked me all the typical questions about why I wanted to do IB and all that BS. He then asked me some technicals to see where I was at. After all that I wanted to talk the business side of things (duration of the program, cost, etc.). He refused to tell me any of that and insisted that we get my parents on the phone the following day. That didn’t sit well with me and I saw it as a huge red flag.
At the end of the day he has created a business that has its demand - you can’t fault the guy for that. There are plenty of students who think they’re fucked for recruiting and will use his service in a heartbeat. But I will say, I got very sleazy car salesman vibes from him.
this guy gives me a headache.
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