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ua87
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types of EC for investment bankers 04 Apr 2011, 06:06
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many applicant to MBA schools are from Investment banking / PE / consulting etc. which have very demanding working hours..(it is probably the case for most applicant but as far as I know IB people work more than 80-90 hours per week. So these guy should not have any time for comnutity service or any kind of EC activity for that matter.

what kind of EC, do these kind of applicant write? or will the adcom give less importance to EC for some specific work background..
thnx
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herserendipity
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types of EC for investment bankers 04 Apr 2011, 06:22
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I don't think adcoms will give any less weight to ECs just because a finance person generally works more. They are slightly more forgiving but there are plenty of people who do work in those industries and still make time. Most of the people I know in banking will partake in mentoring, Big Brother / Big Sister, etc. It's often an activity that can be done over e-mail or requires 'lower touch' but has high impact.
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herserendipity
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types of EC for investment bankers 04 Apr 2011, 06:40
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wschaeff
I've found that while bankers and consultants may work a lot of hours, their firms are a bit more accommodating for ECs. Also, bankers and consultants are more likely to plan ahead for B-School and are more likely to get involved. Just my observations.

Engineering firms I've worked for required 60ish hours per week and ECs were outright discouraged. The companies didn't sponsor Cancer walks, Habitat outings, or anything of the like. Plus, honestly, until I started considering applying to schools almost 1 year ago to the day I didn't think I'd need to get involved in ECs to boost my resume.

I find it really interesting that Michigan no longer requires any ECs on the application. I heard the director say once that the adcom knew students were lying about their involvement. They also recognize that not all cultures place such an emphasis on ECs. I'm really interested to see if this line of thinking extends to other schools soon.
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Totally agree, Wschaeff. Forgot to mention the first part. :)
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types of EC for investment bankers 05 Apr 2011, 13:03
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Hi ua87,

We had a client who worked for an investment bank and here is the strategy she took for her extracurriculars.

She enjoyed painting as a hobby until she accepted an investment banking job out of college. She felt she had no time to become involved outside of work, but she rekindled her interest in art when she became involved in a company-sponsored fundraising initiative. She designed t-shirts to raise extra money and unite the team.

As a result, she showcased her artistic talent and interest, became involved in a great cause, and demonstrated creativity and leadership.

Hope this was of help!

Cheers,

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team
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lifeofpurpose
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types of EC for investment bankers 05 Apr 2011, 14:45
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StacyBlackman
Hi ua87,

We had a client who worked for an investment bank and here is the strategy she took for her extracurriculars.

She enjoyed painting as a hobby until she accepted an investment banking job out of college. She felt she had no time to become involved outside of work, but she rekindled her interest in art when she became involved in a company-sponsored fundraising initiative. She designed t-shirts to raise extra money and unite the team.

As a result, she showcased her artistic talent and interest, became involved in a great cause, and demonstrated creativity and leadership.

Hope this was of help!

Cheers,

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team
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Stacy,
how strong would you consider volunteering for Endeavor?
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types of EC for investment bankers 06 Apr 2011, 10:15
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lifeofpurpose,

Endeavor is a great organization. With extracurriculars, start with your own interests and passions. If you are interested in the mission of Endeavor, then you will be more committed, and your impact will reflect that.

Best!

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team
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Hessegebbabel
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types of EC for investment bankers 10 Apr 2011, 22:08
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StacyBlackman
Hi ua87,

We had a client who worked for an investment bank and here is the strategy she took for her extracurriculars.

She enjoyed painting as a hobby until she accepted an investment banking job out of college. She felt she had no time to become involved outside of work, but she rekindled her interest in art when she became involved in a company-sponsored fundraising initiative. She designed t-shirts to raise extra money and unite the team.

As a result, she showcased her artistic talent and interest, became involved in a great cause, and demonstrated creativity and leadership.

Hope this was of help!

Cheers,

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team
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Without wanting to sound rude or anything, but are schools really fooled by that?!

It reads well and all, but come on, isn't it embarrassing that coming up with the story probably took her longer than designing one of those generic company fund-raising shirts?
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types of EC for investment bankers 11 Apr 2011, 00:10
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Adcoms have a soft spot for fingerpainting. Knitting scarves is another one.

I had a client once who collected ants. Had a whole ant colony in his bathroom. I told him he could weave a story of leadership in his essays about it. He got into Stanford but dinged from HBS. In a rage he smashed the ant colony with his fist. He won the battle but the ants won the war by infesting his apartment. So he kicked himself because he now had a better story for his 'mistake' essay. Relegated to his safety school at Stanford, he hitchhiked to Palo Alto, where he spent the next 2 years learning about franchising opportunities at El Pollo Loco. True story.

If you're in banking, best EC is origami. Works everytime. Shows not only creativity, but innovation and sustainability! You're find new ways to re-use paper.

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types of EC for investment bankers 11 Apr 2011, 00:17
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To the OP: adcoms don't care about IB analysts having ECs. Most don't have any while they're in banking, and adcoms are well aware of the 80-100 hr weeks. And having some isn't really a plus because they know that if you are working such long hours that you have no time to sleep, what are the chances any ECs are going to be that substantive or meaningful?

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