2 PE internships look bad for IB FT recruiting?

Hello, I'm a junior at a semi-target with decent GPA and a boutique PE internship during sophomore summer. I went through SA recruiting, got a few superdays but still no offer. Right now I have a PE offer (AUM >3bn but not well known) and am still talking to an EB. At this time I'll most likely go for the PE offer.

My question is will having two PE internships and no IB experience greatly affect my chances in FT this fall. Do people just assume that I want to go back to PE after two years IB? How should I phrase the story?

I'd also appreciate any advice on FT recruiting. Almost no bank or alum group does OCR for FT and I've used most alum contacts during SA recruiting. Should I start reaching out new contacts now or later in the summer? Thanks!

5 Comments
 

Definitely agree with TheOceanizer on having "Why not PE?" down. But will add that you should have a good explanation for why you didn't do IB this summer (hint: I didn't get any IB offers is not a good explanation).

 

Est neque tempore illum cum. Sunt sunt est facilis laboriosam. Voluptas rem dolore iure autem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”