Hey, I'm not sure if you will reply, but I'm currently studying maths, economics and sociology at A Level (Year 13) and was wondering is it possible to break into banking with a sociology degree at for example LSE/Cambridge or should I focus on trying to get the grades for an economics degree? Thanks, I would appreciate it if you could reply 🙏❤️
Hey! My first bit of advice would be to choose the degree that you would actually enjoy studying, rather than trying to optimise for your career. Ultimately, you've gotta do this degree for the next three years, and if you don't enjoy/do well in the subject you've picked, you'll probably find it a lot harder to get a good degree classification (remember, banks require a 2:1 at the very least!) That being said, if you were able to do economics at LSE/Cambridge, I'd imagine (again my opinion - I have never worked in the recruiting/HR department) that you'd be better placed than with a sociology degree. Hope that helps!
This is an extremely late comment, but would you consider St Andrews and kings college London a semi target? And is everything you have mentioned on the semi target in this video still a semi target?
Hey there! Yes, I'd consider both of those to also be semi-targets - you do see a few people from those universities getting investment banking/finance related roles ever year, just less prevalent than the targets. The other places that I mentioned, in my opinion, remain semi-targets, but as I say there's no hard and fast list for these things (just my observations :))
Hi, I’m currently in year 12 and want to apply to the Lse and Cambridge for economics next year. What topics would you recommend I put on my personal statement?
Hey! Honestly, it varies from person to person - I talked about my work experience for the vast majority, and also mentioned books and articles I'd read. I know others have spoken about the subjects they took at A-Level. So very variable, and definitely no one way to go about it. You can find some LSE personal statements on my website, Asure.uk if helpful :)
Hey, sorry for the delay in responding - completely missed this message. Yes, I think it's possible to get into investment banking with Politics, as long as you do the necessary prep work to familiarise yourself with technical questions prior to interview - nothing is too difficult (and I've since created a video on what resources to use to help with this). For postgraduate, my opinion is that you'll be optimising your chances by doing a finance related postgrad at a target university, but again just my opinion.
I really hope you can answer this for my son. He has an offer for UCL but is worried he didn't smash his final exam yesterday in maths, and needs A*. He also has an offer from Bocconi (Milan) unconditional, and King's which only requires an A* in any subject, which he's confident in. I would like to know whether, if he doesn't get into UCL, whether Kings College or Bocconi would be better ? (For investment banking). Wall St Oasis posts say Bocconi is on the same tier as Kings, but I'm not sure, because it must be so much harder to get London investment banking jobs when you're degree is in Milan.
Hello, apologies for the delay in responding! My personal observation is that I've seen more Bocconi students exit into finance than I have Kings, even to London (it's common for banks to take candidates coming from European universities). That being said, I'm not entirely sure what level of study they are coming from (i.e., whether it's more masters level students or not). That being said, there are obviously a lot more factors you should consider - it's not impossible to get an offer while at Kings, nor would I recommend having sights only for Investment Banking at such an early age. Happy to chat further via email if you'd like to discuss
@@asureUK thank you so much for the answer. Decided against Kings. However, he’s hoping for UCL or will take Bocconi if he doesn’t get grades for UCL. I don’t think Kings is quite strong enough yet, but Bocconi seems to be the better of the two choices. Consistent with your view I think. Thank you for your answer.
How can you skip investment banking. Jump straight into PE. Friends all seem to have only done 1 to 2 years max so seems pointless if can somehow skip IB. Also, besides internships, what is better a high 1st class degree from a good Russell group university in mathematics at university of york or Edinburgh university vs 2.1 in English or Economics History at LSE or Cambridge
Going straight into PE is a quite rare thing to do, it's certainly not the standard route to getting into the buyside. Most people do tend to do 1-2 years of IB before going into PE, and this is especially the case if you want to get into "Core" PE, rather than an offshoot of PE like Real Estate PE or Infrastructure PE. However, there are a few firms that offer direct buyside roles out of university. On your second question, I'd personally say a 2.1 from LSE or Cambridge - from my observations I've seen people get into Investment Banking with non-finance/quantitative backgrounds if they come from your Oxbridge/LSE type universities. In my experience, it seems like university matters more than degree, and if you go to a target uni you can get away with a 2.1. Hope that helps!
@@asureUK Thanks. Yes, that was my thoughts as well but just made a bit more difficult when university comparing (Edinburgh and York) are semi targets. So gets a little less clear - was thinking need to get a high 1st from semi to match a high 2.1 from Oxbridge. But then candidates should be fairly equal. Or a high 1st from semi to match 1st from Oxbridge etc. Outside of target and semi target it seems to become very difficult regardless of degree results. Yes, could point about niche PE. Seems some people have got into real estate private equity from linkedin without doing traditional path using some other internship and work experience and then a specialist Masters in real estate finance at one of the leading schools for this field - Reading Henley business school or Cambridge.
Would courses like "international social and public policy with economics" at lse or"economic studies and global sustainable development" at Warwick still be good for investment banking and would it be better than straight economics at like bristol, Nottingham, durham etc.
Hey, thank you! So the firm I work for is one of a few PE companies that offer grad roles. It's also a bit more common with non-core PE, like Real Estate or Infrastructure. In terms of applying, it's pretty much the exact same process as a regular Investment Banking division application.
How much of an advantage does going to a target university give you over a semi target university, if u have A Level grades that are as good/better than people in a target university (4A*s at A-Level)
To be perfectly honest I'm really not too sure. My immediate gut feeling is that the target uni people might still have a slight edge (assuming they still managed to get pretty impressive A-Levels like 2 or 3A*s). That being said, going to a semi-target and having really impressive grades and extra curriculars definitely will put you in good standing (in my opinion) to get offers!
Hi, yes it would be a viable path. Again, I'd like to stress that I've never directly worked in recruiting/HR, but observationally I've seen quite a few people who have done masters at more prestigious universities than their bachelors to try give themselves another shot at graduate/intern positions.
Hi Vignesh, As I mentioned in the video, I personally believe you're at an advantage in terms of recruitment if you attend a target university. Having the target uni on your CV will basically help you get through the door, but it's then ultimately up to you to do well at interview/assessment centre. In terms of deciding what university to go to, that's a very personal choice. You can use league tables as a guide to figuring out how good a university is at the subject you're interested in, and then balance that with other considerations, e.g. whether you actually like the campus, the vibe, etc. Feel free to reach out to me on asure.uk and we can have a 15 minute chat, if helpful :)
i wanted to ask a question, im really confused as there are people that say that a masters in maths or finance is a must for investment banking after a finance degree is that the case or not. as in is the masters needed?
I personally believe that a 2:1 or higher from a target university is more than sufficient - this is what I've personally seen among my friends/peers. The standard track in the UK to get into Investment Banking starts from 1st Year of Undergrad, and so it's very normal to see people join Investment Banking Grad Programmes straight out of Undergrad.
What are the best A levels that you recommend to take? Right now I’m taking business studies finance drama and film studies but I’ve been advised to drop drama or film to do maths
If Investment Banking/Finance is what you're looking to do, I'd agree with that advice - drama, and film studies, unfortunately, aren't really seen as facilitating/the most attractive subjects to target universities. You will need to be comfortable with maths to really excel in banking (in my opinion) and so again, think it would be wise to take it at A-Level.
Hey! I'm a bit hesitant to do a US version simply because I've never applied or been part of the US education system, and so I'm not particularly well informed about the nuances or best practices of applying. My understanding is that the general themes are the same: - Doing well in your early education and getting into a target university (Ivy League?) maximises your chances of getting into Investment Banking - Doing work experience is probably just as important. I think the US places more importance on networking relative to the UK (again, not sure just how much though) - I'd imagine being involved in societies or extracurriculars at College in the US is also pretty important to round out your CV. Hope that helps!
Hey, I'm not sure if you will reply, but I'm currently studying maths, economics and sociology at A Level (Year 13) and was wondering is it possible to break into banking with a sociology degree at for example LSE/Cambridge or should I focus on trying to get the grades for an economics degree? Thanks, I would appreciate it if you could reply 🙏❤️
Hey! My first bit of advice would be to choose the degree that you would actually enjoy studying, rather than trying to optimise for your career. Ultimately, you've gotta do this degree for the next three years, and if you don't enjoy/do well in the subject you've picked, you'll probably find it a lot harder to get a good degree classification (remember, banks require a 2:1 at the very least!) That being said, if you were able to do economics at LSE/Cambridge, I'd imagine (again my opinion - I have never worked in the recruiting/HR department) that you'd be better placed than with a sociology degree. Hope that helps!
This is an extremely late comment, but would you consider St Andrews and kings college London a semi target? And is everything you have mentioned on the semi target in this video still a semi target?
Hey there! Yes, I'd consider both of those to also be semi-targets - you do see a few people from those universities getting investment banking/finance related roles ever year, just less prevalent than the targets. The other places that I mentioned, in my opinion, remain semi-targets, but as I say there's no hard and fast list for these things (just my observations :))
Hi, I’m currently in year 12 and want to apply to the Lse and Cambridge for economics next year. What topics would you recommend I put on my personal statement?
Hey! Honestly, it varies from person to person - I talked about my work experience for the vast majority, and also mentioned books and articles I'd read. I know others have spoken about the subjects they took at A-Level. So very variable, and definitely no one way to go about it. You can find some LSE personal statements on my website, Asure.uk if helpful :)
You think I can get into investment banking with an undergrads in Politics? What’s the best postgraduate?
Hey, sorry for the delay in responding - completely missed this message.
Yes, I think it's possible to get into investment banking with Politics, as long as you do the necessary prep work to familiarise yourself with technical questions prior to interview - nothing is too difficult (and I've since created a video on what resources to use to help with this). For postgraduate, my opinion is that you'll be optimising your chances by doing a finance related postgrad at a target university, but again just my opinion.
I really hope you can answer this for my son. He has an offer for UCL but is worried he didn't smash his final exam yesterday in maths, and needs A*. He also has an offer from Bocconi (Milan) unconditional, and King's which only requires an A* in any subject, which he's confident in. I would like to know whether, if he doesn't get into UCL, whether Kings College or Bocconi would be better ? (For investment banking). Wall St Oasis posts say Bocconi is on the same tier as Kings, but I'm not sure, because it must be so much harder to get London investment banking jobs when you're degree is in Milan.
Hello, apologies for the delay in responding!
My personal observation is that I've seen more Bocconi students exit into finance than I have Kings, even to London (it's common for banks to take candidates coming from European universities). That being said, I'm not entirely sure what level of study they are coming from (i.e., whether it's more masters level students or not).
That being said, there are obviously a lot more factors you should consider - it's not impossible to get an offer while at Kings, nor would I recommend having sights only for Investment Banking at such an early age.
Happy to chat further via email if you'd like to discuss
@@asureUK thank you so much for the answer. Decided against Kings. However, he’s hoping for UCL or will take Bocconi if he doesn’t get grades for UCL. I don’t think Kings is quite strong enough yet, but Bocconi seems to be the better of the two choices. Consistent with your view I think.
Thank you for your answer.
Glad I could help, and wishing your son all the best - feel free to drop me an email if you have any further questions
How can you skip investment banking. Jump straight into PE. Friends all seem to have only done 1 to 2 years max so seems pointless if can somehow skip IB. Also, besides internships, what is better a high 1st class degree from a good Russell group university in mathematics at university of york or Edinburgh university vs 2.1 in English or Economics History at LSE or Cambridge
Going straight into PE is a quite rare thing to do, it's certainly not the standard route to getting into the buyside. Most people do tend to do 1-2 years of IB before going into PE, and this is especially the case if you want to get into "Core" PE, rather than an offshoot of PE like Real Estate PE or Infrastructure PE. However, there are a few firms that offer direct buyside roles out of university.
On your second question, I'd personally say a 2.1 from LSE or Cambridge - from my observations I've seen people get into Investment Banking with non-finance/quantitative backgrounds if they come from your Oxbridge/LSE type universities. In my experience, it seems like university matters more than degree, and if you go to a target uni you can get away with a 2.1. Hope that helps!
@@asureUK Thanks. Yes, that was my thoughts as well but just made a bit more difficult when university comparing (Edinburgh and York) are semi targets. So gets a little less clear - was thinking need to get a high 1st from semi to match a high 2.1 from Oxbridge. But then candidates should be fairly equal. Or a high 1st from semi to match 1st from Oxbridge etc. Outside of target and semi target it seems to become very difficult regardless of degree results.
Yes, could point about niche PE. Seems some people have got into real estate private equity from linkedin without doing traditional path using some other internship and work experience and then a specialist Masters in real estate finance at one of the leading schools for this field - Reading Henley business school or Cambridge.
Would courses like "international social and public policy with economics" at lse or"economic studies and global sustainable development" at Warwick still be good for investment banking and would it be better than straight economics at like bristol, Nottingham, durham etc.
Great video my brother. Keep moving forward and keep the consistency. 🙏❤️
Thank you so much bro, appreciate all your support❤️
How did u manage to get a role in private equity immediately after uni?
Btw big fan of ur grind💪
Hey, thank you! So the firm I work for is one of a few PE companies that offer grad roles. It's also a bit more common with non-core PE, like Real Estate or Infrastructure. In terms of applying, it's pretty much the exact same process as a regular Investment Banking division application.
Can i get into investment banking with BTEC
How much of an advantage does going to a target university give you over a semi target university, if u have A Level grades that are as good/better than people in a target university (4A*s at A-Level)
To be perfectly honest I'm really not too sure. My immediate gut feeling is that the target uni people might still have a slight edge (assuming they still managed to get pretty impressive A-Levels like 2 or 3A*s). That being said, going to a semi-target and having really impressive grades and extra curriculars definitely will put you in good standing (in my opinion) to get offers!
If I’m studying at a non-target for undergrad, would a msc in finance at LSE/Oxford be a viable path to break into ib?
Hi, yes it would be a viable path. Again, I'd like to stress that I've never directly worked in recruiting/HR, but observationally I've seen quite a few people who have done masters at more prestigious universities than their bachelors to try give themselves another shot at graduate/intern positions.
@@asureUK ok, thanks. I'm not sure how I'd be able to finance the masters but it's good to know it's an option at least
How does the university choice affect you for a career in IB? and how do we judge which university is worth going to.
Hi Vignesh,
As I mentioned in the video, I personally believe you're at an advantage in terms of recruitment if you attend a target university. Having the target uni on your CV will basically help you get through the door, but it's then ultimately up to you to do well at interview/assessment centre.
In terms of deciding what university to go to, that's a very personal choice. You can use league tables as a guide to figuring out how good a university is at the subject you're interested in, and then balance that with other considerations, e.g. whether you actually like the campus, the vibe, etc.
Feel free to reach out to me on asure.uk and we can have a 15 minute chat, if helpful :)
i wanted to ask a question, im really confused as there are people that say that a masters in maths or finance is a must for investment banking after a finance degree is that the case or not. as in is the masters needed?
I personally believe that a 2:1 or higher from a target university is more than sufficient - this is what I've personally seen among my friends/peers. The standard track in the UK to get into Investment Banking starts from 1st Year of Undergrad, and so it's very normal to see people join Investment Banking Grad Programmes straight out of Undergrad.
What are the best A levels that you recommend to take? Right now I’m taking business studies finance drama and film studies but I’ve been advised to drop drama or film to do maths
If Investment Banking/Finance is what you're looking to do, I'd agree with that advice - drama, and film studies, unfortunately, aren't really seen as facilitating/the most attractive subjects to target universities. You will need to be comfortable with maths to really excel in banking (in my opinion) and so again, think it would be wise to take it at A-Level.
Can you do a US version of this video?
Hey! I'm a bit hesitant to do a US version simply because I've never applied or been part of the US education system, and so I'm not particularly well informed about the nuances or best practices of applying. My understanding is that the general themes are the same:
- Doing well in your early education and getting into a target university (Ivy League?) maximises your chances of getting into Investment Banking
- Doing work experience is probably just as important. I think the US places more importance on networking relative to the UK (again, not sure just how much though)
- I'd imagine being involved in societies or extracurriculars at College in the US is also pretty important to round out your CV.
Hope that helps!