Accounting Internship over spring semester

Hi I am a sophomore at University of Maryland's Smith School of Business which isn’t really a target school for investment banks in general. I major in Finance and Accounting. As a sophomore I have been given a spring internship opportunity to help with a small accounting firm in MD with tax returns for the tax season. I was considering doing this internship on my Fridays but Gaithersburg, MD is far from my campus in College Park MD so it would probably kill most of the time on my Fridays. My friend told me to NOT do it and focus on my course work since I currently have a 3.57. She feels that if I am to look stelar for those Ibanks I needa focus on my course work and ramp up my GPA to at least a 3.75 from a non target school. Due to this I am asking if anyone can give me any advice on how to approach this. I know that as a sophomore it is rare to get a spring semester internship and that it’s probably impressive to get one at this grade. I also know that it will be good to get some professional work experience under my belt. But I also know that it is true that I need to focus on my studies to grab that 3.75 as I am from a non target school. If anyone can help me with some words of advice on my situation I would be seriously grateful. Thank you so much for the help.

3 Comments
 

If you can't focus on your studies while doing a 1-day-per-week internship, I don't know how you'll survive the work style of banking...

That said, from a non-target, if you can get in with a 3.75, you can get in with a 3.57. Does that mean you should slack on your classes? No.

 

I agree with B, in that you should force yourself handle both your school work and the internship (1 day per week). You are right that work experience of any kind is very valuable, but I can tell you that tax work (at the staff level) is completely irrelevant to a career in banking.

 

Velit fugit officia doloremque quia nemo ut. Est amet praesentium et mollitia sint beatae. Quasi eum est voluptate quod et. Et nihil enim qui et et. Sit expedita cupiditate sed quia recusandae magni non.

Soluta eos porro velit esse consequatur. Suscipit dolorem et eos quasi voluptatem incidunt et. Explicabo aut fuga aspernatur voluptas. Esse deleniti aut et. Ut et nostrum consequatur. Tempore qui eos id quidem esse molestias non voluptatem.

Aperiam mollitia unde modi aut. Quod asperiores quaerat impedit perspiciatis omnis et placeat. Eum nesciunt aperiam molestias aliquid illo ipsam et fugiat. Iste est quis voluptas dolorem sit. Est iusto voluptatum dicta. Qui placeat iste et pariatur ut. Impedit est voluptatem nihil quasi rerum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”