Best route for IB

Don't go to bristol no matter what the Scholarship is.

LSE will give you the best support (in terms of interview practise etc but nothing you can't do yourself).

Cambridge maths is by far the best and most challenging course and I would recommend doing that above everything as you could also do a Quant role or go into academia. Whereas economics and maths at LSE is a bit of a doss and the maths is a joke.

Similarly Imperial>>LSE in terms of academically interesting work.

How confident are you of meeting your Step offer?

If you are confident then 100% Cambridge.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2

But realistically every course bar Bristol will get you interviews no question.

Reply 3

sweeneyrod

15

Original post by ImTooSmart

Hello guys,

I'm a year 13 student (and new to TSR here :smile:

) and was wondering if any of you lot could help me decide which course was best for getting into a top IB.

I have recieved offers from:
Cambridge: Mathematics
LSE: Mathematics and Economics
Imperial: Mathematics and Statistics for Finance
UCL : Economics with a year abroad
Bristol: Economics and Mathematics.

I've already got an A* in Maths and also achieved another 6A's at AS-level (Further Maths (99%), Physics (94%), Economics (100%), English Literature (88%), Music (91%), History (90%). I am dropping English Lit and so will be predicted 5A*s on top of Maths.

I was just wondering would IB's reject me if I don't come from a specific uni (reading on here some people seem to think that if you don't go to one of the target schools you've got a slim chance). This is because Bristol have offered me a full scholarship (of tuition fees ) for all three years of study!

Would love to hear you're guys thoughts

X.

If you go into IB presumably you'll be able to pay off your tuition fee debts fairly quickly. I'd definitely firm Cambridge.

Reply 4

KLL

I'd go for the option where you don't go like 40k into debt. None of the options will guarantee you a job in IB and plenty of people from Bristol do go into banking. Yes, far less than at the other places you mention but having a Scholarship from Bristol might well put you on par.
And you can always top up with a masters from LSE, Cambridge or whatever if you fail to get in straight and will probably still be less in debt.
But keep in mind, portability of getting into IB is still less than 50% at any of those places. And when you need to fall back on a normal grad job, paying 25-35k a year, how long will you be paying for it?
Free education wins out, even more so given the economic uncertainty ahead.

Reply 5

Original post by KLL

I'd go for the option where you don't go like 40k into debt. None of the options will guarantee you a job in IB and plenty of people from Bristol do go into banking. Yes, far less than at the other places you mention but having a Scholarship from Bristol might well put you on par.
And you can always top up with a masters from LSE, Cambridge or whatever if you fail to get in straight and will probably still be less in debt.
But keep in mind, portability of getting into IB is still less than 50% at any of those places. And when you need to fall back on a normal grad job, paying 25-35k a year, how long will you be paying for it?
Free education wins out, even more so given the economic uncertainty ahead.

This ^

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Reply 6

hihihihihi

18

Damn son those ucas points

Reply 7

gr8wizard10

cambridge will set you up nicely

Reply 8

Original post by KLL

I'd go for the option where you don't go like 40k into debt. None of the options will guarantee you a job in IB and plenty of people from Bristol do go into banking. Yes, far less than at the other places you mention but having a Scholarship from Bristol might well put you on par.
And you can always top up with a masters from LSE, Cambridge or whatever if you fail to get in straight and will probably still be less in debt.
But keep in mind, portability of getting into IB is still less than 50% at any of those places. And when you need to fall back on a normal grad job, paying 25-35k a year, how long will you be paying for it?
Free education wins out, even more so given the economic uncertainty ahead.

This is absolutely abysmal advice. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT

If you work your probability of getting into IB from LSE/Cambridge/Imperial is 100%. Your earning potential is absurdly high - 200k after 3 years.

At bristol its probably 30% at best of breaking into IB and you will be stuck with a standard big 4 job.

Finally student debt IS NOT real debt.

Reply 9

Original post by Sabster

This is absolutely abysmal advice. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT

If you work your probability of getting into IB from LSE/Cambridge/Imperial is 100%. Your earning potential is absurdly high - 200k after 3 years.

At bristol its probably 30% at best of breaking into IB and you will be stuck with a standard big 4 job.

Finally student debt IS NOT real debt.

Depends whether OP is an international student or not (I suspect they are). If they weren't I'd 100% say go for Cam but, if they are that's some serious dough that could be used for something much more worthwhile.

Your %s are wrong as hell too. Cam/Imperial/LSE are NOWHERE near 100% hit rate, don't even try to insinuate that they are. IB is competitive for everyone and no one gets a free ticket to the job.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 10

Original post by Princepieman

Depends whether OP is an international student or not (I suspect they are). If they weren't I'd 100% say go for Cam but, if they are that's some serious dough that could be used for something much more worthwhile.

Your %s are wrong as hell too. Cam/Imperial/LSE are NOWHERE near 100% hit rate, don't even try to insinuate that they are. IB is competitive for everyone and no one gets a free ticket to the job.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I guess as an international student its different but even so I think Bristol's rep is so low in comparison to Cambridge's that its still a no brainer.

And I said 100% if you work and are interested (and given how smart this guy is). Everyone I knew at such schools who WANTED IB got IB.

Reply 11

ImTooSmart

OP

1

Hello Guys,

Firstly I am not an international student so the fees would be 9k everywhere but Bristol, however I've just got off the phone from Cambridge and they said would help support me (no exact figures) if I can achieve a 2.1/1st in my first year, they also said if I were to achieve my STEP offer and 3A*s or more they would offer me a scholarship (which I am confident on achieving).
I also called LSE and Imperial and they both said similar things, however LSE would not sponsor me (only offer me a scholarship).

I therefore think I will firm Cambridge and put my insurance as Imperial (incase I miss step lol). Also, I was speaking to my older brothers friend (offered job at GS, studies Economics at Cambridge, another Loxford School Student!) who said the thing that I should focus on the most once I'm at Cambridge is extra curricalrs, he said even if I get a 2.1 I will most likely secure a job in IB, whereas if I were to go to Imperial/LSE I would most likely need a 1st.

Thanks for your help guys and hopefully see you all in the future on the trading floor

Reply 12

Original post by ImTooSmart

Hello Guys,

Firstly I am not an international student so the fees would be 9k everywhere but Bristol, however I've just got off the phone from Cambridge and they said would help support me (no exact figures) if I can achieve a 2.1/1st in my first year, they also said if I were to achieve my STEP offer and 3A*s or more they would offer me a scholarship (which I am confident on achieving).
I also called LSE and Imperial and they both said similar things, however LSE would not sponsor me (only offer me a scholarship).

I therefore think I will firm Cambridge and put my insurance as Imperial (incase I miss step lol). Also, I was speaking to my older brothers friend (offered job at GS, studies Economics at Cambridge, another Loxford School Student!) who said the thing that I should focus on the most once I'm at Cambridge is extra curricalrs, he said even if I get a 2.1 I will most likely secure a job in IB, whereas if I were to go to Imperial/LSE I would most likely need a 1st.

Thanks for your help guys and hopefully see you all in the future on the trading floor

The emboldened part is complete rubbish, unless you are going for a quant role that is irrelevant.

But yes you should focus very strongly on your extra curriculars - remeber to do spring weeks etc.

Reply 13

Original post by ImTooSmart

Hello Guys,

Firstly I am not an international student so the fees would be 9k everywhere but Bristol, however I've just got off the phone from Cambridge and they said would help support me (no exact figures) if I can achieve a 2.1/1st in my first year, they also said if I were to achieve my STEP offer and 3A*s or more they would offer me a scholarship (which I am confident on achieving).
I also called LSE and Imperial and they both said similar things, however LSE would not sponsor me (only offer me a scholarship).

I therefore think I will firm Cambridge and put my insurance as Imperial (incase I miss step lol). Also, I was speaking to my older brothers friend (offered job at GS, studies Economics at Cambridge, another Loxford School Student!) who said the thing that I should focus on the most once I'm at Cambridge is extra curricalrs, he said even if I get a 2.1 I will most likely secure a job in IB, whereas if I were to go to Imperial/LSE I would most likely need a 1st.

Thanks for your help guys and hopefully see you all in the future on the trading floor

He's BSing to make himself feel better about only getting a 2:1. Fact is, you don't need a 1st at all and especially not from the rest of the target universities (Warwick/UCL/LSE/Imperial). Your brother's friend needs to bring down his ego if he wants to do well at GS.

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Reply 14

KLL

Original post by Sabster

This is absolutely abysmal advice. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT

If you work your probability of getting into IB from LSE/Cambridge/Imperial is 100%. Your earning potential is absurdly high - 200k after 3 years.

At bristol its probably 30% at best of breaking into IB and you will be stuck with a standard big 4 job.

Finally student debt IS NOT real debt.

I know plenty of people who went into oxbridge or LSE and didn't get in, despite wanting to. Often because they were **** at interviews. There is no guarantuee that OP interviews well.
And mind you, this is when recruiting was good. Add up a brexit, emerging markets crashing, trump becoming president, oil not recovering and high yield going all sideways (and resulting potential further financial crisis)... banks might freeze hiring again as they have done before. And even if he still gets a job, then there is a decent chance he'll be let go after a few years. And those event are, individually at least, not really all that unlikely.

And what if OP, who hasen't had any exposure to banking, decides its not for him? Many people do decide that, be it right after the summer internship or 2 or 3 years into the job.

Now, I've been around for a few years and from my first FO off-cycle internship 6 years ago, less than 50% remained in the industry. Most decided it wasn't for them. Everyone else is pretty much still in banking / buyside. From my department, I am the only one who is still in the industry (1 out of 4).

From my first summer internship, I believe less than 50% got converted across FO. Many of those who didn't convert (and some who did) didn't get an FO job afterwards. It was a pretty bad year.
Of those who did get convert, around 1/3rd lost their job within 2 years cause the bank decided to scale back. Many of those stayed in the industry though, but over the past couple of years I know many who left or had to take on roles that paid significantly less.
Granted, that that was not a BB.
However, anecdotally from one of my collegues who used to be on the grad scheme in markets at a European BB, out of a graduate class of 40 people, after 2 years, 35 had left the bank.
But probability weighted, the economic rationale for going into 30-40k in debt for a chance at a career where he'll still need 5-10 years to pay off the debt is pretty weak.

But that is all an irrelevant consideration if Cambridge tells OP that they'll give him a free ride too (or even just a big discount on fees). Obviously go for that.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 15

99ja02

1

I would go to whichever place that offered the best scholarship. There is no guarantee that going a certain university will get you into investment banking as it is so competitive. Anyway Bristol is still a semi-target and so your chances won't be diminished that much if you go there, as long as your non-academic achievements are good (work experience, EC's etc).

Reply 16

Original post by KLL

However, anecdotally from one of my collegues who used to be on the grad scheme in markets at a European BB, out of a graduate class of 40 people, after 2 years, 35 had left the bank.
But probability weighted, the economic rationale for going into 30-40k in debt for a chance at a career where he'll still need 5-10 years to pay off the debt is pretty weak.

.

And yes lots of people leave BBs very quickly and exit to something better (that is not attainable without banking/consultancy).

If banking is bad he can go to a top tier consultancy instead...

But the main point is that STUDENT DEBT IS NOT REAL DEBT, but even if it were the difference between Cambridge and Bristol is so stark that it would not be worth considering.

Cambridge maths sets you up for any job/academic discipline you could want (literally any).

Bristol sets you up for Big 4 audit.

Reply 17

Original post by KLL

And what if OP, who hasen't had any exposure to banking, decides its not for him? Many people do decide that, be it right after the summer internship or 2 or 3 years into the job.

.

Then hell go into Academia/Consultancy/Engineering/Quantitive job

None of which Bristol could give him.

STUDENT DEBT IS NOT REAL DEBT

Reply 18

ImTooSmart

OP

1

Original post by Sabster

And yes lots of people leave BBs very quickly and exit to something better (that is not attainable without banking/consultancy).

If banking is bad he can go to a top tier consultancy instead...

But the main point is that STUDENT DEBT IS NOT REAL DEBT, but even if it were the difference between Cambridge and Bristol is so stark that it would not be worth considering.

Cambridge maths sets you up for any job/academic discipline you could want (literally any).

Bristol sets you up for Big 4 audit.

I've heard this from many people but don't you think if I had amazing academics/good EC's I would be spotted.I don't mind going into Big 4 but I've just been told IB is better and more competitive hence why I wanna go for that

Reply 19