<p>Seeking any sort of advice I can get from econ/finance or any type of banking majors from the more "non-target" schools. With the current economy, banking is obviously a very competitive field.</p>
<p>People have mentioned early interning and "networking." Explain?</p>
<p>Is it best to try and transfer to a "target" ASAP?</p>
<p>Any additional advice is appreciated.</p>
<p>Transfer of you can. If not get dialing for internships.
An MD on WSO was saying that this cycle his bank threw out all resumes that weren’t ivy and 3.6+. It’s not an easy field to get in to. Any chance to make yourself competitive you need to take.</p>
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<p>Want to link us to it?
Could be wrong, but I get the feeling that you misunderstood what someone was saying or took a quote out of context.</p>
<p>This is inspiring. Haha.</p>
<p>I will continue searching for the quote. To clarify: this was actually something that Brian on M&I said. I didn’t see the WSO quote.</p>
<p>But that’s kind of irrelevant. My point wasn’t about specific requirement at a certain bank. I was just trying to highlight the fact that employers are much more receptive when they see their own school on a resume than when they see a non-target. Its not “fair” but that’s just how it works some of the time. You CAN get into IB from a non-target, it just means that you can’t leverage your school as much when you are looking for interviews.</p>
<p>Anyone can break into iBanking. However, if you’re not at a target school then you’ll just have to work a little harder than others to get in.</p>
<p>Well said ^ </p>
<p>But elbeedubalum, I do agree with what you are saying as well. Thanks for the advice guys.</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>Have you checked out your career services center? At my school, I go to the Newark campus of Rutgers, banks and other financial institutions such as JP Morgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and other BB banks come to interview and recruit. So anything is possible. I’m not sure what year you are in, but try finding some internships, as well as getting good grades in your classes.</p>
<p>I agree with cyse00. I just think people often underestimate how hard it can be from a non-target, especially in this economy. </p>
<p>But work hard, get the internships, learn modeling, network etc and it can happen</p>
<p>Yeah I agree with elbeedubalum. It’s definitely hard, but very possible. I come from a non-target CUNY school and I remember feeling a bit out of place during my superday for IB at Goldman, where everyone was from Harvard, Duke, Princeton, etc. Just forget them and be proud of whatever school you go to. Work hard, network hard, use your school’s career center for all it’s worth, and just don’t give up.</p>
<p>Realistically, it’s all about how you sell yourself. First impressions mean a lot. You have to show them that you are persistent. Just because someone maybe from Harvard, doesn’t mean you will automatically be cut out. When you go in for an interview, you have to be confident. They can detect fear, even if you don’t show it directly. Sometimes it might be the way you sit, or you may just be nervously looking around, or avoiding eye contact. There’s also commercial banking if you’re interested in that. It also makes good money, and I’ve heard the hours are less.</p>
<p>We recently had someone from Morningstar talk about equity research from the buy side and he was saying how dissapointed he was in some of his ivy colleagues. He said that he noticed a huge difference in work and personal ethics between those who come from non target schools compared to the ivies. He graduated from the University of Florida (where I go). I am only a Freshman but I have several friends with internships to JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. The key is to look for programs at your school that will differentiate you. For example, UF has a joint degree program where you get your Master’s in Finance along with your undergrad in the same 4 years. This is a huge step up for people coming from UF.</p>