How do I prepare for the upcoming internship?

Today, I officially accepted an offer at a lower middle-market investment bank, which I’m extremely grateful and excited about. I’ve been told I’ll most likely be placed in the M&A advisory group, but I’m not sure how to best use the next two months before the internship.

I’m a first-year student, and I’ll probably be the youngest person on the team. Since the work goes beyond just spreadsheets and DCFs, I’d really appreciate any advice on how to prepare beforehand and what to focus on during the internship. 

Given that it’s a smaller firm, I’m expecting to get more exposure and responsibility, which I’m excited about. At the same time, I’m a bit worried about not knowing something basic or overlooking something and making a bad impression. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

1 Comments
 

Dolore ratione et non qui modi impedit accusantium. Labore quia ad magnam nulla doloremque laborum. Occaecati illum velit numquam odio. Ut qui illum aut voluptatem sequi qui. Eligendi molestias incidunt vero labore magnam. Laudantium optio velit doloremque dolore qui ea.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • 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 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”