We're excited to offer this course to anyone interested in exploring a career in banking. It's open to any sophomore at BC. Sign up through this link
This free, self-paced, non-credit Canvas course is divided into two modules. Module 1 covers the basics of finance and provides a clear understanding of what investment banking is and what investment bankers do. Module 2 guides you through preparing for the IB internship hiring process.
You'll learn how and when to network, behavioral and technical interviews, resume writing, developing your story, and more. The course was developed by BC alumna who worked in M&A at UBS for four years. In addition, there will be live events where you can practice telling your story and preparing for behavioral interviews. We also have live support through the IBST fellows.
Questions? Email csomcareers@bc.edu
Available Now!
Live Technical Interview Prep & Discuss Recruiting Strategies with peer IBST Fellows.
[Set up a free account here]
If you’re a sophomore looking to win your junior-year investment banking internship, identifying and monitoring the firms you want to apply for can be tedious and time-consuming. That’s why Adventis has done the heavy lifting for you and triangulated a list of the top U.S. investment banking firms.
The list of firms includes bulge bracket, middle market, and independent boutique firms, as well as some of the larger regional and niche firms.
The IBST Fellows have put together a folder of resources to help you with your preparation, which includes a banker networking spreadsheet with contact information, an IB Interview Guide and more.
Engage with alumni and employers in the banking industry, explore diversity initiatives and early career programs, and gather insights on summer 2027 internship opportunities.
Additional information about the participating employers and the programs they are recruiting for will be available via Handshake in late fall.
For now, you can see information from last year's event here.
Mergers and Inquisition
website www.breakingintowallstreet.com navigate to the IB Interview Guide course, then click sign-up, which takes you to this page: https://breakingintowallstreet.com/interview-guide-sign-up-options/ Then students can pick Option 1 (IB Interview Guide course only) and that will take them to a checkout page. The coupon code for the Interview Guide is: BC-BIWS-IBIG-2017 , that will discount it to $25.
Another great resource is “Investment Banking” by Rosenbaum and Pearl - This textbook goes into great depth, which will give you a greater understanding, but is less interview oriented
Wall Street Prep
Given the challenging times that many students are facing, Wall Street Prep has decided to share our 1st Edition Investment Banking Interview Guide at no cost exclusively with universities with whom we have worked in the past. Link to PDF here. Otherwise, Use your ".edu" address to receive access to the guide. Download here.
Talk to an upperclassman about the interview process. Use this contact list to find seniors who are offering to help with interview prep.
Information technology
Accounting
Security pricing
Model development
Monitor risk
Data analysis
SASS, R, SPSS and Excel VBA
C and C++ a plus
Understanding of math concepts such as Monte Carlo Stimulation and Stochastic Process
Math and coding background
Quantitative experience in industry
Involvement in finance projects courses
Corporate finance
Private wealth management
Profit and loss calculations
Directly support and interact with Front Office
Financial calculations
Teamwork
Involvement in finance projects courses
Obtain finance certifications such as CFA or FRM
Learn one or two commonly used programming languages
Investment banking
Global capital markets
Markets (sales & trading)
Equity research
Interact with clients
Generate revenue
Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
Building models in Excel
Assess company strategy
In-depth knowledge of a specific industry, like chemistry, environment, public policy, etc.
Industry experience, even if not in finance
Here are a few articles, but it's not pretty
NY Times (requires an account, which can be created through BC Libraries)
Simply applying online by submitting a resume to an investment bank, which receives thousands of resumes each recruiting cycle, is not enough. You must have a stellar resume, maintain a high GPA, and talk with multiple alumni at each of the firms you are serious about.
Check out the Alumni Contacts page for a few ideas of who to reach out to.
Many sales workers and traders work on the “sell side,” which refers to Wall Street investment banks that sell stocks, bonds, and other securities to the “buy side.” The buy side refers to the investment management firms, pension funds, hedge funds, and trusts that buy stocks, bonds, and other securities from the “sell side.” Outside the investment banking industry, traders work for hedge funds, brokerage firms, commercial banks, insurance companies, asset management firms, and mutual fund companies. (see financial institutions page) The increasing popularity of automated trading has changed the required skill set and educational background for traders. As an alternative to an MBA, employers are seeking traders with degrees in financial engineering, quantitative finance, software development, and related fields. Sales professionals need at least a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, sales, quantitative finance, finance, accounting, or economics from a top-tier college. See Vault guide to Sales & Trading for more details. BC login required.
Though commercial banks and investment banks are both critical financial institutions in a modern economy, they perform very different functions and require different kinds of employees. Commercial banks are what most people think of when they hear the term "bank." Commercial banks accept deposits, make loans, safeguard assets, and work with many different types of clients, including the general public and businesses. Investment banks, on the other hand, provide services to large corporations and institutional investors. source investopedia
For More information check out the Vault Guide to Commercial Banking here (BC login required)