How competitive are IB Sophomore SA internships?

I'm an incoming freshman heading to Wharton this fall. I'm genuinely curious about the recruitment process for IB freshman and sophomore summer internships, especially the sophomore ones. I've seen on linkedin people from my school (class of 2026) that have already landed 2024 IB sophomore internships at BBs. I'm guessing recruiting takes place at the end of first semester freshman year, so how would a decent resume look like? I have no idea as to how competitve these programs are. I'm planning on joining a handful of finance-related clubs when arriving on campus but is this enough? I guess some people have finance internships the summer before college starts, but I live in South America and here it's not customary at all for companies to hire students who are 2-3 years into college let alone who just finished high school.

 
Most Helpful

The short answer is very competitive. You have a big advantage being at great school, so expect a lot of on-campus recruiting. Recruiting for SA takes place late Feb - early April of the year before. You should be trying to make coffee chats soon to build relationships before recruiting starts. It generally takes 2-4 months to be solid on the technicals required for interviews, depending on the intensity and efficiency you study at. Wharton can place at any firm, just a matter of luck and preparation. 

Decent resume is 3.75 + GPA (3.5 absolutely minimum), a few finance clubs and orgs, and hopefully some other experience from a finance-adjacent internship in Freshman summer/ concurrent with school. Consider joining SEO/MLT/BLK if you are eligible. Don't sleep on the importance of people skills + interest/hobbies on the resume, this will split the decision between you and someone else at a superday. If you know what group you want to join, could be worth creating or joining an tech/ energy/ healthcare club for the optics. 

 

Beatae labore voluptatibus omnis reiciendis ad cumque repudiandae. Reiciendis maiores velit doloremque enim. Provident culpa voluptatem adipisci aut voluptatem eum. Accusantium doloribus ut enim quia.

Porro aut ut dolore. Dolorum voluptatem cumque voluptatum iusto nobis quia doloremque. Temporibus placeat recusandae eos harum voluptas. Exercitationem asperiores doloremque sequi dolores et. Harum dolore et quo molestiae.

Eligendi iusto ea eligendi quasi maxime fugit. Ut vel sunt quia eius.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
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...”