A commonly asked question by students is: would be "good enough" to break into ? While a valid question to ask, the answer is complex and is not always a simple "Yes" or "No".

Degree/Subject Choice

First of all, you should study a subject that you think you will like studying; not because of whatever prospects it may offer to becoming an investment banker or a super-star trader. If you do this one thing, you will have already done yourself a favor and saved yourself lots of time, because you can't excel at something you dislike or find boring.Truth is, for investment banking (and sales), it doesn't really matter what course you study as long as it's at a reputable institution. Michael Burry (The Big Short) notedly got a degree in medicine and had no formal education in finance, or economics. Many others, whether on a spring week or summer internship, study something not related to finance at all too: like Classics at University of Oxford or English at University of Cambridge. Yet, they might still be interning on trading or banking desks, and sometimes are the best performers.However, if you want to work as a software engineer in trading or become a quant it it imperative that you study towards a STEM degree. In those roles, raw mathematics and science skills are a must.Firms in private equity and hedge funds tend to have the same preference. For trading/markets-related roles, they often require a technical degree (note: not necessarily finance), whereas for corporate finance-related roles, it does not really matter.

University Brand Name

Graduates from so-called target universities are in another league compared to their lower-ranked, semi- and non-target competition. Whether fair or not, their "market value" in the workforce due to the difference in prestige of the universities and assumed competence is real, and it's the first thing an employer, or HR will judge. Let's get the causations and effects right: The top 5 universities tend to graduate more competent and higher quality talent than those from semi- or non-targets, so they are preferred.In fact, non-target students face a very steep uphill battle unless they quality for DEI programmes and will require lots of networking effort to have a realistic chance of landing their first role. Usually, it's better to rebrand yourself once you have worked a few years in the industry, with a Masters Degree at a top university.Moreover, they also lack the ease of networking opportunities (think: Lunch with Citibank programmes and others) which is a disadvantage and the general culture towards investment banking and other high-finance roles might not be as pronounced.

Resume Formats

Students often fret over the format and content of their resumes. It is a waste of time that you could have used better. Of course, you need to make sure your resume's grammar is on point, the content is punchy, and the format is professional. However, after a certain point of having improved it, the marginal benefit you get from another hour of trying to make it better is negligible. Recruiters famously don't spend more than 30 seconds looking at a resume and the name of the university is the first thing they check. It follows that you should prioritise your time on things that actually matter, like networking and landing an internship - not whether a commas was left out. These things might matter when it comes to applying to senior, experienced roles but it rarely does for entry-level roles.Lots of success in the application season comes down to luck too, anyway - banal things like did the recruiter have a good day when looking at your resume, or not? So you should spend your time doing higher ROI (Return on Investment) things instead. Like networking. Or working towards a first-class degree. Or your hobby, even.