What are the best internships to aim for and the best path to take from community college to target school to M&A IB?

Hi, I'm currently an incoming freshmen to De Anza community college (a big one in the Bay Area). Some background info: I was an excellent high school student with a high GPA, SAT, and AP test scores. I applied and was admitted to UC Berkeley (only west coast target school besides Stanford imo), but received barely any financial aid because my parents income was too high. However, it's only too high for financial aid, but way too low to help afford the costs of attendance (neither attended college thus their income caps are pretty low). (student debt would've been 60-70k).

I was wondering about the pathways and experiences other students have taken from community college to target schools to investment banking positions. I am in great need of assistance, I've heard many students do pwm internships, but other than that I'm not sure what kind of internships I should apply for in the next two years I'm here. My goal is to transfer to Haas or some other transfer friendly target/ semi-target school and land an investment banking internship summer from junior to senior year.

I've also heard that investment banks are recruiting earlier and earlier each year, thus making it more difficult for me to establish a separate GPA and appear equal to the students at the transfer school I'll be competing with for junior-senior summer internships. Does anyone have any advice or information they can share with me regarding what I can do to overcome these obstacles? Thank you!

2 Comments
 
Best Response

Got to community college. Nail it. Transfer to top target. Then nail it there.

Try to get into an investment banking internship, if unable at BB or MM, then try to get boutique. Nail it if you get an internship or offer.

If you don't get the position or internship, go down the list of prestigious positions. The more, the better. Get some kind of finance job that is great, if you can't then do some Teach for America or Peace Corps or become a Navy SEAL.

Get a 740+ GMAT, get into a top MBA and then you have a real shot at IB.

"It is better to have a friendship based on business, than a business based on friendship." - Rockefeller. "Live fast, die hard. Leave a good looking body." - Navy SEAL
 

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