Hello everyone! Im pretty sure this question has been asked thousands of times now but I'd like to share my story with you all. I am a freshman at a non-target school in the northeast (think Rutgers/CUNY/Fordham) with a decent amount of alumni in the industry. And in order to get a glimpse into how networking is like, I decided to attend an info session for a top 5 BB firm held on campus last week; approximately 5 days into the school year.
What I did notice is how many students wanted to do banking, and yet not many had the proper guidance on the part of the school and therefore have little to no chance to get into the industry coming from my school. The courses offered here didn't provide them with the technical knowledge required to succeed in interviews.
Even though Im a first year, I don't want the school I go to to define the opportunities I have access to. As someone who has closely followed the markets since high school, I started blogging this year about important issues within the markets, religiously posting well written articles every 1-2 weeks. I have also started to try to understand valuation techniques through online programs. I'm want to start networking with bankers but I am afraid they'll pass on me because I'm a freshman.
I don't want to come off as overly enthusiastic to them, but I wonder, Do the people in the industry appreciate someone who is just downright motivated and passionate to learn? I know I might not get many responses if I try contacting these individuals but I want them to know my intent as a student from a school with not many opportunities in banking.