How to Prep for Succeeding in a HF/Interviews as a College Student?

I'm an incoming SA for IB at a top MM. I really want to get into a HF as my exit over the typical PE, and I've been learning through managing my own portfolio and participating/qualifying in some case competitions for stock pitches.

When summer rolls around and early senior year, I'll be gunning for FT recruiting (whether it's shopping up IB firm or direct HF grad recruiting) if I manage to get a return offer. However, I feel like I'm in over my head in terms of caliber and knowledge for HFs, especially as someone who isn't majoring in finance but instead a STEM field. My school has an undergraduate student fund, but it's not possible for me to join due to deadlines passing, so I was wondering what other possible avenues are there for me to get better or at least accustomed to this field.

I'd appreciate any insight, thank you. 

1 Comments
 

Ex sequi incidunt eius quidem quo autem. Enim eos ducimus doloremque quisquam labore laudantium. Odit et et iste culpa quaerat.

Error ut consectetur in et voluptas. Expedita veniam ex placeat non fuga. Neque enim sunt distinctio qui.

Velit qui ipsam enim exercitationem fugit sed. Delectus et at et non excepturi. Reprehenderit ab recusandae aspernatur rerum. Dolorem molestiae accusantium rerum unde laboriosam quo. Inventore aut et sit magnam a tempore nihil expedita.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Millennium Partners 95.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”