3 Ways To Prepare In The Month Before Your Investment Banking Internship

I was in your shoes last year and remember the feeling of creeping anxiety in the weeks leading up the highly-anticipated IB Internship.

You worked your tail off all of Freshman & Sophomore year and don’t want to let it go to waste.

If I could start from the beginning - I’d make sure to do these 3 things in the month before starting to be 10x more comfortable & ready to succeed that first day on the desk.

1. Ask Last Year's Interns About Structure Details & Best Practices

It’d be hard to play a sport if nobody told you the rules & what gear you need.

I felt the emails sent from my bank didn’t have much detail on the structure of the internship.

Chatting with upperclassmen that interned at my firm last summer was a GAME CHANGER.

They spilled the beans on details of the “Program Setup” -

• Assigned a “Buddy” (analyst / associate) & SR Mentor
• Week 1: Training by 3rd Party (Training The Street) + Group Intros + Networking
• Final Project Introduced Week 4
• Weekly HW Assignments Graded by a Third Party
• Live Deal Work
• Mid- & End-of-Summer Reviews
• Intern Social Event Schedule
• Expected dress code

Each bank has their own “systems” they use for the SA program.

You learn so much from asking advice from someone who went through the exact program a year ago. They’ll give tips on how to succeed in each area & what is valued most for return.

2. Start Building Relationships With Intern Class

You get to know someone quicker in 1 on 1 environments than group convos.

My intern class had over 30 kids. Standing there chatting in circles of 5ppl makes it hard to build comfort.

I’m so glad I did 2 things:

• Messaged a few interns with similar interests & had brief calls to introduce
• Grab coffee / lunch with them during week before start date while moving into the city

3. Re-Calibrate Daily Routine

It takes the human body 2wk to adapt to a new sleep schedule.

Enjoy the final weeks with your buddies - but caution on staying up till 5am & sleeping till’ noon.

If you’re a fellow gym bro - I started getting used to an early morning lift routine.

The nerves fly away when you have a tactical plan for each piece of your specific internship’s program. You’ll be able to focus your energy on that plan when new relationships and physical routines are on autopilot.