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

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Oh yeah, another question is that I feel Econ at LSE may be difficult for me as I won't be taking further maths past AS level, what other degress outside of that would be worthwhile for a front office position?

Reply 3101

username738914

Original post by iBall

Anything really. Your degree doesn't matter that much for banking. As long as you go to a decent school (i.e. the ones I mentioned + Oxbridge) you'll have a decent shot.

Reply 3102

username738914

Original post by iBall

Thanks for the reply. Right now I can't say I prefer engineering because I've never really been exposed to it like I have the finance industry, but I do love innovation and follow the Tech and Finance industry primarily therefore Econ and engineering both appeal to me but I'm more of an Econ lean right now, I've also looked at the E&M course and that is the most attractive to me but outside of that I'd like a regular Economics Bsc from another good university. I suppose I'm going to have to ask when I get down for a work experience what employers are looking for

If you like the tech industry then consider a Computer Science degree - it's fairly quantitative but also gives you broader skills. I'm doing that this September.

Again for most graduate employers (apart from engineering/tech firms) your degree doesn't matter. What is more important is your work experience (internships, spring weeks etc.), extracurriculars and your numeracy skills.

Reply 3103

AestheticsBrah

I've got offers for accounting and finance at both Warwick and LSE, where should I go?

Reply 3104

username738914

Original post by AestheticsBrah

I've got offers for accounting and finance at both Warwick and LSE, where should I go?

Choose the one you like best.

They are both IB powerhouses.

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Reply 3105

AestheticsBrah

Original post by Princepieman

Choose the one you like best.

They are both IB powerhouses.

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How much difference in career prospects

Reply 3106

username738914

Original post by AestheticsBrah

How much difference in career prospects

Bro, I literally just said they are on par. If there was a difference I would have said there was.

Reply 3107

AestheticsBrah

Original post by Princepieman

Bro, I literally just said they are on par. If there was a difference I would have said there was.

No, actually, you didn't.

You said that they were both powerhouses; this doesn't mean that they're even and on a par.

Reply 3108

username738914

Original post by AestheticsBrah

No, actually, you didn't.

You said that they were both powerhouses; this doesn't mean that they're even and on a par.

Obviously if both are powerhouses the relative difference will be marginal...

To humour you though, LSE is marginally better.

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Reply 3109

iBall

Original post by AestheticsBrah

I've got offers for accounting and finance at both Warwick and LSE, where should I go?

Congrats bro, what were your AS Levels and how did you find the process?

I'd personally go to LSE based on worldwide reputation and location advantages. Plus I wouldn't mind staying in London due to the huge variety of things to do outside of school.

Reply 3110

AestheticsBrah

Original post by Princepieman

Obviously if both are powerhouses the relative difference will be marginal...

To humour you though, LSE is marginally better.

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Much appreciated buddy, any more insight into this?

Two candidates with similar CVs from Warwick and LSE, is LSE winning 70/30 or 90/10 before an interview, or what?

Reply 3111

AestheticsBrah

Original post by iBall

Not the right thread, so I'll PM you

Reply 3112

gr8wizard10

Original post by AestheticsBrah

Much appreciated buddy, any more insight into this?

Two candidates with similar CVs from Warwick and LSE, is LSE winning 70/30 or 90/10 before an interview, or what?

Very minimilastic difference, as Prince rightly said. Your uni is one line on your CV.

What else you have to offer in terms of previous experience, what you've done outside of Academia, ECs will swing it your way.

Think of it like this, pretty much 95% of people who will be applying to banks have straight As / A*s, very strong academics, went to a good uni.

LSE/Wawick are both targets, so they will likely get you on to the interview pile, relative to non-targets as the academic criteria is likely to be met. Now the question begs what else can you bring to the table relative to your competition who all most likely attend strong unis and have similar academic credentials.

Reply 3113

username738914

Original post by AestheticsBrah

Much appreciated buddy, any more insight into this?

Two candidates with similar CVs from Warwick and LSE, is LSE winning 70/30 or 90/10 before an interview, or what?

Doesn't work that way..

There is a threshold of what counts as a good school - once people have met that threshold it's all about the individual. Ceteris Paribus, LSE grads and Warwick grads have equal shots.

Reply 3114

vela1

Original post by iBall

The maths in an engineering degree is more complex than an econ degree. Thought you should know.

Reply 3115

iBall

Original post by vela1

The maths in an engineering degree is more complex than an econ degree. Thought you should know.

I already knew that. However FM for the most part is not explicitly stated as a requirement for most universities.

Reply 3116

heyfran

I have just firmed UCL for SSEES Economics. I am looking to secure a spring week in 2016. However, I have about no (relevant) work experience besides working as a promoter during the summer. Now I am horribly worried that this will stop me from getting a spring week and therefore I won't be able to have a career in IB. Any opinions? Thanks in advance!! x

Reply 3117

gr8wizard10

Original post by heyfran

Do something over the summer, join finance socieities once you start university, get a leadership position, learn more about finance to impress in interviews.

Reply 3118

username638250

So I don't have a spring week but I'm thinking of reapplying this time round. I'm applying to be VP of a society at university but if not, I'll probably be something like Secretary (committee members are my friends so if I don't get VP, I'll get that haha)? I don't have any relevant work lined up for the summer; what do you think is good work experience? I think it's too early to get relevant work experience.
I'm definitely going to be more involved in ECs next year, haha. Should have joined my uni's Investment Society as it's relatively new and committee positions were empty. :frown:

Reply 3119

Mr. Roxas

Original post by AestheticsBrah

How much difference in career prospects

LinkedIn University Rankings | United Kingdom | Undergraduate
https://www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/gb/undergraduate-accounting?trk=edu-rankings-flt-ctg-dd

Best undergraduate universities for accounting professionals.

We ranked universities based on how successful recent graduates have been at landing desirable accounting jobs.

1. Warwick
2. Oxford
3. UCL
4. Bath
5. LSE

Best undergraduate universities for finance professionals.

We ranked universities based on how successful recent graduates have been at landing desirable finance jobs.

1. LSE
2. UCL
3. Cambridge
4. Imperial
5. Warwick
6. Oxford

https://www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/gb/undergraduate-finance?trk=edu-rankings-flt-ctg-dd

So, basically, you can't go wrong with either. Both are top targets.

I'd say choose the university based on personal fit.

LSE is in London which is cool. But it doesn't have a campus, which could make you feel dissociated at times. The student housing and food could also very unreasonably expensive.

Warwick, on the other hand, is campus-based university where you'd feel you really belong to the university, as the student activities are held in central campus, and you'll be meeting and hanging out with students which could enhance your learning. And, it was for this reason why I chose Warwick over LSE. :smile: