yea but the HR internship is at a financial company. i feel like i can easily spin that into a useful internship for finance. also, im only a sophomore so I assume that they will understand how hard it is to get an actual finance internship.

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 

18/hour for 40 hours a week * 10 weeks in the summer now does not compare to $100k+ yearly all-in with a job in actual finance when you graduate.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

i have no money so taking the train/subway everyday to the hedge fund office would be a huge burden. i would most likely be doing nothing realted to finance anyway. busy work and research.

the hr internship is at a top financial services firm so i would be fully exposed to the industry. I would also be given a living stipend and reimbursed for transportation.

not to mention i am only a SOPHOMORE which means i will still end up with a finance related internship next summer as well as next winter.

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 

Try doing the HR internship and intern at the HF remotely (if they are not in the same city). I did something similar ,did a tech internship and worked part-time at a boutique for the summer (same city). 8-4pm internship (also with a financial services company). and i would go to my unpaid boutique gig in the evenings (5pm-8pm+), work from home, or come in on weekends...worked out great. i was only putting in like 65-75hours a week all together. i needed money for college, nonetheless I learned a lot at the tech internship. looks good in interviews too. i then went on interning for the boutique part-time during school.

 

you really think you will get more financial experience working HR at some big company than doing actual finance related work at a HF? youre fucking nuts. but you know what? humor us and take the HR gig. will make it easier for everyone else next summer...

how do you think you get those all important junior year internships? almost everyone has RELEVANT FINANCE EXPERIENCE before the big junior summer...

 
leveRAGE.:
you really think you will get more financial experience working HR at some big company than doing actual finance related work at a HF? youre fucking nuts. but you know what? humor us and take the HR gig. will make it easier for everyone else next summer...

how do you think you get those all important junior year internships? almost everyone has RELEVANT FINANCE EXPERIENCE before the big junior summer...

i do not think that i will get more experience in HR. however, i know plenty of juniors that received BB internships in banking and trading with no experience the previous summer. they didnt even have another internship. I have a high gpa and have other extra curriculars. sorry my parents dont pay for college and i have to pay myself with no loans. you might not know that that is like. 18 an hour is hard to pass on when you have no parents at all.

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 

it doesn't really sound like ur interested in high finance. i strongly suggest taking the hr internship then. what i would do is make contacts within HR and find recruiters, so then you are almost guaranteed interviews with the firm the next summer. one think i assure u, if this HF internship is unpaid, u will not be doing anything sexy. most of the work u will be doing can be done at home. see if u can do that...starting now. by working from home, u will also avoid bitch work...like making bank deposits and getting mail.

 

Will Hunting I really respect you for paying your way through college, that's very tough to do and if I'm ever on the other side I'll give anyone who did that a much better chance of an interview.

That being said, the hedge fund internship without a question is the MUCH MUCH better option, unless you ABSOLUTELY need the money. Even if the financial firm is Goldman Sachs, it won't matter, an HR internship signals you are interested in HR, not finance. A hedge fund internship shows you had a legit financial job before junior year, which will help you land more interviews and be more impressive to talk about.

It seems like your mind is already made up about taking HR, and while it might be easier in the short run to work in HR and make some money, it is the easier, not the better way out and taking the hedge fund job will be substantially better in the long-run.

as for the subway costs, try to ask in the hedge fund can subsidize it (for them $160 for 2 30-day unlimited passes is nothing, especially when they are getting free labor)

 
Best Response

OP, how much of a sure thing is the HF internship? And is it in NYC?

I generally will agree with all of the people here who are telling you to go for the HF, and I bring the additional perspective of having been in a very similar situation. I basically passed on a solid finance internship (equity research) in favor of a paid marketing internship at a major financial firm. And while I wasn't entirely paying for college myself, I was responsible for a large amount of tuition every year, so that definitely played into my decision.

I don't think I've ever regretted a decision more than that one.

Hindsight is always 20/20, so please benefit from my hindsight: I discovered over the course of the next year or two that having done the finance internship would have been infinitely more helpful to my career prospects, and the several thousand dollars I made that summer cost me untold opportunities to make IB money after graduation. Also, assuming the HF is NYC, being there for the summer will give you a networking opportunity that will be more valuable than having contacts in the HR department of one financial firm, if played correctly.

If it's possible to work out a way to do both internships, as others have said above, that might shift the balance, because it will allow you to write the HF one on your resume, and spin it however you can. But if it comes down to one versus the other, my past experience votes for the HF hands down.

 

ok fellas. thank you all for the input. i think you have all changed my mind and I will most likely not even go to the second round interview. however, if it makes any difference, i go to an ivy so recruiting on campus is very good and i have a high gpa so there will ample opportunities beyond this year even if i didnt take the hedge fund job.

for reference:

HR is in Pennsylvania Hedge Fund is in NYC

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 
Will Hunting:
ok fellas. thank you all for the input. i think you have all changed my mind and I will most likely not even go to the second round interview. however, if it makes any difference, i go to an ivy so recruiting on campus is very good and i have a high gpa so there will ample opportunities beyond this year even if i didnt take the hedge fund job.

for reference:

HR is in Pennsylvania Hedge Fund is in NYC

haha if it isn't a timing problem or anything like that, i would actually say to go to the second round interview--there's no better way to prepare for interviews than to practice them, and real interview situations are much better than mock interviews or anything like that. If its not a major time commitment, id say it might be worth going to the interview for the extra experience

 

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I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.

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