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

It is very rare that any student has any work experience that has a profound impact on their university application.

I wouldn't worry about it.

To the kid who has finished their 2nd year at Cam, think of the application process as a multi-stage lottery that anyone can win but better applications simply mean you've bought more tickets.

If the prospect of facing a lottery is not appealing, change the game. It's possible.

I think the problem would be that all my other work experiences would be irrelevant, I could say they improved my confidence/team-working skills/patient contact, but I'd be worried they would think I'm blagging it. I was thinking of applying for economics and accountancy, is that okay?

Also thanks for the advice

what degrees are favoured for consultancy?

what degrees are favoured for consultancy?

How does Nottingham Uni Economics rank? obviously its not a target, but semi-target? Are there any places that tend to have a lot of grads from Notts in FO positions? Im trying to decide whether i should take this option, or take a second gap year and re-apply

What are the chances of securing a back/middle office role in a leading investment bank with a 2.1 from Imperial but no related experience (e.g. internship)?

Hello

I am a econ masters student at cambridge, and completed my BA in econ from Delhi University (India) where I was near the top of the class (top 5). I have a public sector internship with ministry of finance in india, a social sector internship with one of india's largest education focused NGO and a year-long part time stint with Google, which amounted pretty much to my helping google with its on campus initiatives, like sponsorships and recruitment.

I led the debate team back at my Delhi University college, headed the community service group. In terms of extracurriculars, i've debated at an international level and acted in street plays.

I'm sceptical as to whether or not I stand a chance to land consulting interviews at good places, given the lack of a solid corporate internship. It'd be great if people at TSR could look at this and tell me what they think of my chances of landing an interview, because if the chances are slim, i'd start applying to back office finance roles as well, even though i'm not interested in banking at all.

thanks.

PS: The google thing was not a break in my education; I did it during my undergrad. So effectively I have no breaks or gap-year.

I'm sceptical as to whether or not I stand a chance to land consulting interviews at good places, given the lack of a solid corporate internship.

The issue is how closely you can prove you match the required skill set. So don't start from the point of what you have done, start from the company website and the skills they say they want, and then put together the best package of evidence you can.

Yes, this sounds reasonable. but given that most of the big consulting firms do pretty much similar things (i understand boutiques might specialise in a particular industry), and ask for the usual skills- teamwork, leadership, ease with quant, academic excellence-how does one tailor a CV for, say, bain versus mckinsey?

The major difference between the two firms, from what I know, is that Bain is supposed to have a better work-life balance, and a greater personal focus. And I agree that this can probably be used in a cover letter for bain, but how does one differentiate a CV meant for Bain from one meant for mckinsey or BCG?

Yes, this sounds reasonable. but given that most of the big consulting firms do pretty much similar things (i understand boutiques might specialise in a particular industry), and ask for the usual skills- teamwork, leadership, ease with quant, academic excellence-how does one tailor a CV for, say, bain versus mckinsey?

The major difference between the two firms, from what I know, is that Bain is supposed to have a better work-life balance, and a greater personal focus. And I agree that this can probably be used in a cover letter for bain, but how does one differentiate a CV meant for Bain from one meant for mckinsey or BCG?

Whats my chances of getting a job in IB with:
AAA, and GCSE grades of AAAABBCCD(not great, i know :/)
And hopefully a degree at a uni such as manchester/nottingham/birmingham.

This if for the top 7 IB's, also how is the pay for the other IB's?

Also, an internship is after uni right?