Internship Contact Spreadsheet?

Hi everyone,

I am compiling a list of companies (HF, PE, IB, and AM) to send emails to in attempt to network, maybe meet for coffee/visit the office(s) and ultimately try to land an internship. As a first-semester finance student (I transferred/changed major) I'm incredibly interested in at least getting my name into places where it can potentially make a difference for me down the road.

Two things:

• Who should I be contacting within the firms (Managing Directors/Partners/CEOs, Analysts or Associates)?

• I am a member of my university's alumni LinkedIn group, but there aren't many alumni that maintained contact with the career services center. Should I connect with them via LinkedIn and start talking to them there or is that inappropriate?

I'm obviously interested in gaining career experiences/internships, but I also want to know more about these companies and the specific roles that people play within the firms to try to narrow down exactly which type of investments I want to work in.

Any feedback is much appreciated!

Thank you for reading,
Nate