High School Student Looking for Internship

Hey everyone,

I'm a 16 year old high school student living in Dallas, Texas and I've been interested in IB since I was young. I'm now starting to look for a way to get an internship to mainly obtain an insight to the field but as well as advancing my resume for college. Although I've heard no many times when cold calling I still want to be able to at least do one internship before college. What advice would you guys give me if I want to and how to approach any companies about potential paid or un-paid internships?

Thank You

P.S. Any advice about getting into a target school would also be appreciated. I currently have a 3.6 GPA and I know this puts me at a disadvantage which is why I am exploring my options to get into a target school.

 

Make a huge list of financial institutions in your city (Wealth advisors, hedge funds, banks, family office) wtv you can think off. Get at least 50. Email or call. Show them passion and interest and that you are willing to put hard work towards it. Guaranteed 1/50 will land. Don’t try to like/act like you are experienced because you are not, rather show you are looking to fill your curiosity.

 
Most Helpful

Some will disagree but IMO finance high school internships aren't worth it. Target schools won't be impressed enough by a finance internship to overlook the GPA - time is better spent crushing the ACT/SAT and getting leadership positions in any clubs you're in. High school internships are also completely meaningless for your resume by the time IB rolls around (you will be advised to take high school stuff off after freshman year) and you're just going to end up shadowing or working for free at some tiny place, it certainly won't be paid. Financial firms also don't want 16 year olds hanging around, even if you were the owner's son.

As for schools - consult the target/semi target lists here, it doesn't always match up to the top 20 schools and you can get into banking targets, and certainly semi targets, with your GPA. SMU in your backyard isn't top 20 or anything but is a solid semi target with a good IB program. Georgetown might be a reach but is a banking target. Penn State and UGA seem to place a ton of people to banking as well. Focus on schools that offer a finance major instead of just econ - will make getting into banking far easier.

 

Thank you for the quality response. I had thought that I would have to focus on ECs like getting an internship to make up for my GPA but I think I could raise enough it for a school like UT. I understand that firms won't want me hanging around like you said. How would you rank schools like Kelley at IU for their IB programs? 

 

Then I would echo what everyone else is saying, skip the internship and focus your energy on improving your stats for undergrad. 

I don't really think there would be many places that would take a cold, high school intern. 

I can't imagine your parents don't know anyone though (ignoring your bitchy response, sometimes people don't think about obvious shit). Neither of my parents went to college and still knew people who helped me out with finance internships early on.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Alright and I will focus on GPA I think that is my weakest point. I was more inspired by my curiosity of trading stocks when I was younger and as I explored my career options I found that IB would be something I would possibly enjoy.

 

Sint dolor officia distinctio atque praesentium. Et commodi distinctio tempore consequatur totam ut delectus occaecati. Dicta perferendis totam qui blanditiis. Voluptate deleniti aut porro vel eveniet quia.

Et commodi similique sit dolorem mollitia in. Omnis dolore nulla illum non ullam.

Array

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”