As a freshman what should I be doing?
Since the IBD application timeline has been moved much earlier this year, should I start applying for 2019 summer internships or are most of these internship programs reserved for juniors going into the senior year? Also are there any internships still available at small financial boutiques for the summer?
START applying to the freshmen/sophomore accelerator programs that most banks offer -- they are a really good way to get your foot in the door, and they put you on the radar of recruiters.
START networking -- talk to students in your college who will be interning in banking, and attend info sessions and coffee chats that many of the bb's offer on campus. Those contacts will be useful for sophomore and junior summer.
START learning as much as you can about finance -- take courses in college, start reading the finance / interview Vault guides and WSO guides, etc. -- this knowledge will give you an edge in recruiting.
For freshman summer -- don't sweat it too much -- you want something that is meaningful and ties well to your overall "story", and something that you are passionate about, and you can talk about during an interview. Something to show how hardworking, dedicated, diverse you are, etc. If it is remotely related to finance -- even better!
Best of luck! :)
Agree with @deshaw1 on most things, but I'd also like to add that, with recruiting constantly moving earlier and earlier, it's imperative that you get a finance related internship for the summer. Could be corp fin, a boutique PE/VC firm, anything. Just get something. The "relax and enjoy your last summer" days are long gone.
And no, you can't apply to SA 2019 positions yet. As a freshman, you'll be applying to SA 2020 positions this coming winter, most likely.
"As a freshman, you'll be applying to SA 2020 positions this coming winter, most likely." sad but true lol
Get the highest GPA possible. If you have a bad first year then you're facing an uphill battle for the rest of college because it only gets harder and then you will have to balance school with networking, studying for interviews, extra curriculars, etc. and it would be hell trying to do so
Unless you're in a special program like a diversity program or something like that, it is unlikely you'll get a legitimate IB related role at a bank. Being from a top target, even the top students freshman year were at best landing a PWM role at a BB or a small analyst role at a tiny fund.
Do try your best to find something finance related, but don't stress to much about getting a legit boutique/BB SA role.
One interesting opportunity I did that I thought was one of the best decisions I made was working at a search fund (basically private equity for a single company). Mostly unpaid, but if you have a good boss, you can take on a lot of responsibility in the sourcing process, learn about what to look for in investments, learn about the deal process, how terms are negotiated, etc.
I echo most of what was said here but also its important to build your resume so join a finance club on campus to show you interest in finance and then also join something else on campus that is a legitamate interest (that can be a good interview talking point).
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