Gap Semester Before Junior Year for IB

Hi, I am currently a sophomore in math and econ, but I am not dedicated to preparing for investment banking until quite recently. I have my summer internship lined up in reinsurance already, so I cannot do a heavy finance-related internship in summer.

I am just wondering if it is a good idea to take a gap year before junior year to do an internship at a smaller IB before challenging the BBs. Will they frown upon that if I take a gap semester?

I already feel like I am really behind in the process because I did not network at all until quite recently. The only savior factor is that I am in a target in good academic standing, and I am wondering if a gap year is going to help remedy the difference.

Thanks!

1 Comments
 

Earum molestiae sunt dignissimos illo et maxime doloribus. Quibusdam voluptatem sed qui vel ipsa in. Voluptatem aperiam et eos reprehenderit. Quo ex aut culpa et quia aspernatur.

Recusandae aut non dicta rerum exercitationem nihil odit explicabo. Sapiente cumque earum expedita non.

Non dignissimos natus commodi voluptates animi. Dolor neque esse qui. Magni sit soluta harum nisi dolores est recusandae aut. Voluptates nostrum eaque aliquid recusandae exercitationem facilis.

Sint ut totam quis. Qui veniam sed dolorem dicta aut molestias. Omnis quod et consequuntur est et. Maxime velit saepe sed in ab repellendus. Officia neque veniam nostrum quos quod laudantium expedita quae. Id illo alias distinctio.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (55) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”