Liberal Arts Undergrads: A few tips to land THE internship

Hey monkeys. I just started becoming more active on WSO now that I have made it to the buy side and wanted to share a few tips for fellow liberal arts undergrads. After working on my economics degree on a campus of 2,000 students and residing outside of a large city (I apologize for the geographical vaguness) that contained top-ranked schools, I have learned several things about what works. Small colleges don't always have the best career centers for finance-minded students, so here is what I learned on my own:

1. NETWORK

No matter what college or university you go to, networking is key to any career in finance. However, at a liberal arts college you have to work a bit harder. My college maintained a list of alumni with careers in finance that I leveraged weekly. Keeping a constant stream of inquiries with alumni and professionals will build your network quickly. I have also noticed that alumni of small non-target schools fight for each other on the buy and sell side. There was even one alumn that was an MD at Citi that attempted to hire a new analyst each year from the college to stick it to his coworkers.

2. FIND A MENTOR

I lucked out freshman year and happened to be at a pre-law mixer and met a partner of a huge investment management firm in the city that happened to get his JD. While all of your connections will provide guidance, finding one that you particularly connect with will pay massive dividends. If you establish a mentor-mentee relationship, then they will take a more keen interest in you and provide priceless insights.

3. EARN A LEADERSHIP POSITION

This took me two years to figure out, but I eventually became a leader in my college's portfolio management club and another budget committee. This will provide a substantial prop to your resume for recruiters and even connections. Being the president or vp will set you apart by demonstrating your drive and legitimate interest in a career in finance. Once I became a leader it seemed to convince my connections of my abilities, and they were even more willing to reach out on my behalf. Clubs are also not a huge commitment, so it's an easy way to bolster the resume.

4. TALK WITH PROFESSORS

Attending a private college gives students an even better opportunity to create a relationship with professors. I started doing this sophomore year, and it payed off huge during my junior year. One of my finance professors actually knew a c-suit exec at a massive financial institution that ultimately led to my buy-side internship. Sometimes it takes one professor to believe in you and miracles can happen. Drop by your finance or econ professor's office every once and awhile and shoot the shit and see what comes up (maybe even happen to have a resume in your backpack).

5. INTERN FOR APPLICABLE SKILLS

While any internship is great as a sophomore, finding one that gives you a skill set directly applicable to your dream internship's will provide a great spring board. I interned in corporate finance at a tech company and learned all about financial analysis and forecasting. I leveraged the hell out of this when I interviewed for SA positions, and it helped make up for the fact that I was from a non-target.

6. JUST KEEP PUSHING

This is the hardest thing to keep in mind. It is very easy to get discouraged, but it only takes that one connection, application, or grade to make it. Blanketing online apps while drinking a nice whiskey became a nightly routine (this landed me my corporate finance internship and two sell-side interviews without any connections). Even if you don't end up with your ideal internship, it will always be possible to begin the career either at graduation or later down the road. Remember: A lot of undergrads say that they want to be in banking or at a hedge fund, but aren't motivated to put in the work for the GPA or experience. Out work them and the college next door.

I wanted to pay it forward to the WSO community, and I hope at least one person will get something out of this. Thanks monkeys.