The "Am I good enough for Investment Banking/Consultancy?" Thread

Yes...

But is it a guaranteed gateway to investment banking?

What about a 2:1?

You see, several times i have raised money for my society as the treasurer and came up with ideas of how to make money. All this in 4 months.

But is it a guaranteed gateway to investment banking?

What about a 2:1?

You see, several times i have raised money for my society as the treasurer and came up with ideas of how to make money. All this in 4 months.

I think they may be legally required to hire you with all those amazing achievements.

Usually an event is organised every month by my society. I have to think about how to raise money for the event. Two of the events were for charity and the other two were for profit which is something that i succeeded. Lol in one of the events, i sold kebabs and somosas and it became a huge hit with the students!!!

I wouldn't call that an amazing achievement but would call it something that would make my CV look good.

Usually an event is organised every month by my society. I have to think about how to raise money for the event. Two of the events were for charity and the other two were for profit which is something that i succeeded. Lol in one of the events, i sold kebabs and somosas and it became a huge hit with the students!!!

I wouldn't call that an amazing achievement but would call it something that would make my CV look good.

GCSE: A*A*A*A*A*AAAAB
A/S Level: A*AAB
A Level (predicted): A*AA

applied for:
Cambridge (Economics)
LSE (Management)
Durham (Business Economics)
Leeds (Economics & Management)
Royal Holloway (Economics)

hoping to get a 1st at uni too...

I know it is academically very competitive, but do I have the academic level for a career in investment banking etc?
I also feel I have the relevant people skills, and confidence etc

Your academics are fine. But people seriously need to learn it's not your degree/academics that gets you the job.

Meritocracy my ass...

Meritocracy my ass...

It is a meritocracy, they want the BEST people for the jobs. Just because people have a list of qualifications the length of their arms, doesn't mean they have strong interpersonal or team working skills. A boy who went to school with me was a super genius, like did GCSE's when he was 10, did A levels when he was 14. He ended up with 13 A's at A-Level, then he went on to do Physics @ Keble, Oxford. But he wouldnt even be able to get a job in Greggs because his interpersonal and communication skills are terrible, hes rude, arrogant, impatient and thinks everyone is an ass. He would be awful in any team, whether its a team of investment bankers, doctors or street sweepers.

It is a meritocracy, they want the BEST people for the jobs. Just because people have a list of qualifications the length of their arms, doesn't mean they have strong interpersonal or team working skills. A boy who went to school with me was a super genius, like did GCSE's when he was 10, did A levels when he was 14. He ended up with 13 A's at A-Level, then he went on to do Physics @ Keble, Oxford. But he wouldnt even be able to get a job in Greggs because his interpersonal and communication skills are terrible, hes rude, arrogant, impatient and thinks everyone is an ass. He would be awful in any team, whether its a team of investment bankers, doctors or street sweepers.

Hey, just wondering if it's worth my while applying for some summer analyst/internships at banks for next summer. A quick yes or no will do.

Info:
-Irish, doing Commerce and Chinese in University College Dublin (4 year degree, in second year atm but third year is a year abroad in China so technically this is my penultimate year). Planning to specialise in finance in my final year.
-Did well in school (AAAAABB in Irish A-level equivalent where A=85%+ and B = 80%+) Did Maths, languages, physics, history.
-First year university grades weren't great (3.38GPA which is 2:1, first is 3.6)
-Played sports growing up and am pretty competitive, captained my gaelic football team for years and had a brief stint as captain on school rugby team (I've noticed people emphasising leadership and interpersonal skills on here so thought I'd include this)
-Have good work experience in marketing, branding and advertising with a well-funded startup that's taught me a lot about entrepreneurship and starting a business in addition to the marketing stuff but nothing relevant to banking.
-Have an interest in finance/economics (sub to The Economist, check financial blogs etc etc)

Going by the applications thread in this forum it's pretty tough to get an intern position and there seem to be certain prerequisites for getting in. I want to work in markets because I want to work somewhere competitive where success is tangible and rewarded, I figure doing a summer internship is a good way of getting a foot in the door.

Two more quick questions: are there ways of finding out which positions are paid and which aren't (any I've seen don't specify at all)? If they are paid would the pay be enough to support myself if I were to move to London for the summer? I could probably save a decent chunk of change between now and summer but there's no way I'd be able to fund an entire summer in London.

Any replies are much appreciated, cheers!

- do you have a chance? yes but markets (S&T) is very competitive place to be and if you are not in London means you have hard time to network in the first place. When I was not in London, applying for S&T was pain... much easier when I moved back to London as you can network easier.. looking back that is. Might be easier if you do Masters in London but again thats bloody costly. Neverthless I would say have a go at it but it won't be easy...
- Most large IBs will pay you enough for your cost of living (if not more) in London.
- No they won't tell you how much until you get an offer
- Typically they get paid less than Analyst salary (i think it was 3/4 of analyst salary or something like that in the current BB IB I am in) some banks pay less though especially outside BB banks (again generalising so take it with pinch of salt)