Women in Finance
Reese's Guide Into Investment Banking
This guide breaks down the recruiting timeline, networking, interviews, and day-to-day life in investment banking, with a focus on what it is like as a woman entering the industry. See the "Choose Your Path" tab first to see different paths.
What you will find here
- Year-by-year plan for recruiting.
- Concrete networking email templates.
- Behavioral and technical interview prep.
- Honest notes on life in IB for women.
The story behind the guide
Built from experience. Designed to open doors.
I'm Reese DiBiase, a Stanford Economics student, Division I national champion, investment banking and private equity professional, and Co-Head of Education for Stanford Women in Finance. I built this guide to make the path into finance clearer, more practical, and more accessible for the people coming next—especially women who may not yet see a clear path into the industry.
Selected highlights
Finance, leadership, and performance
Welcome
This website is a practical, honest guide to help women break into investment banking. It is written from the perspective of a student who has gone through the recruiting process and wants to make it less confusing and less intimidating for others.
The focus is on concrete steps: what to do each year in school, how to build a network from scratch, how to prepare for interviews, and what day-to-day life in banking is actually like for women.
Who This Guide Is For
- Undergraduate students curious about finance and banking.
- Women looking for a clearer entry point into a historically underrepresented field.
- Students who feel behind or late to recruiting.
- Non-traditional backgrounds (non-finance majors, transfers, athletes, etc.).
You do not need to come from a “finance family” or a target major to use this guide. You just need interest, work ethic, and a willingness to learn.
Built to keep growing
A Living Recruiting Resource
This site is designed to evolve as recruiting changes and as I continue learning from students, mentors, teammates, and professional experience. The goal is not to offer shortcuts; it is to help people prepare thoughtfully, ask better questions, and approach every opportunity ready to contribute.
How to Use This Site
- Start with the Recruiting Timeline page to understand how the process works from freshman to junior year.
- Use the Networking Guide to plan your outreach and build real relationships with bankers.
- Work through the Interview Prep page as a checklist when you are getting closer to interviews.
- Read Life in IB to get a realistic view of the job, plus tips and resources for women in finance.