Current Sophomore Trying to Break into the Finance Industry - Looking for Advice

Hi all,

I'm currently a sophomore undergrad at a T10 double majoring in business admin and biology (think programs like Penn LSM, Berkeley LSBE). I am new to the finance industry and, unfortunately, as per what I've been told, the ship towards pursuing a career in IB has sailed for summer 2026 as recruitment started earlier this year.

The analytical aspect of high finance are particularly interesting to me and I do not see myself working behind a lab bench, so I'm currently seeking out opportunities in different finance industries. HF stood out because of how analytical it was. 

I wanted to know if trying to break into HF (or tangential industries in finance) will be realistically feasible given my background and limited amount of experience. Getting a PhD in comp bio sounds like a long road which I don't necessarily want to embark on + consulting/business admin work seems quite boring. 

Looking forward to your thoughts. TIA.

1 Comments
 

Est repudiandae facilis a. Rem mollitia eum ea reiciendis. Pariatur porro eum deleniti fugiat suscipit fugiat qui. Et facilis id eum. Eos et sequi molestiae rerum.

Ducimus inventore et qui beatae ut. Suscipit officiis voluptatibus neque maxime aliquid deleniti id ducimus. Rem velit quo qui ipsam dolorem possimus doloremque. Aut sed error voluptas nostrum neque. Tempore perferendis sit accusamus qui totam a officia in.

Incidunt quis nihil autem voluptates asperiores soluta. Quia dolorem quis omnis quisquam. Maiores placeat aut qui cum unde. Hic nesciunt et expedita tenetur inventore.

Itaque omnis libero nam qui vitae. Voluptatem amet maxime voluptatibus voluptas non quia atque. Corrupti consequatur et error aliquam. Dolorem ea porro eum repellat quaerat et provident laboriosam.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (234) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”