How early is too early?

Hello all, I am a freshman at a non target looking to break into banking, ideally BB/EB. I was able to get a 4.0 my first semester while landing a role in the investment fund, earning a leadership position in the IB club, and an internship at a boutique bank for this upcoming summer. I’m wondering how else I can prepare for SA recruiting next year? Additionally, is now too early to start networking? Some say it is never too early, while others say bankers simply do not take freshmen seriously. I would love any advice for a non target student in general or Networking specifically. Thank you in advance.

4 Comments
 

Just start trying to build out your resume by getting internships. Find something sick for this spring or summer and then in the fall you can start reaching out and people will give you the light of day because you’ve demonstrated genuine interest.

 

Build out the resume more, but it’s not too early to network. Start reaching out and have educated questions ready for them, make it clear that your goal is to get to know the team but you understand that based on your experience you may not be ready to apply for the internship program. Then, if the calls with team members go well, reach out every 3-6 months to check in. This will keep you on the top of the team’s minds, plus will give you more industry knowledge to use in interviews and your career beyond them!

 

I disagree tbh. I would wait until after 2026 recruiting ends since people are busy with that. You could risk coming across as annoying. I’d honestly wait for October 2025 to start, there was a thread in September where analysts were complaining about sophomores reaching out in September because recruiting teams haven’t started keeping track of calls. I would prioritize sophomore summer networking, a sick sophomore job basically garuntees an offer.

 

Atque nostrum nemo voluptas eos. Facilis dignissimos autem velit voluptates fugit veniam voluptas sint. Ut occaecati et dolorem ducimus.

Est nisi perferendis numquam. Adipisci quos excepturi commodi quam ducimus vitae. Totam voluptas ab nostrum nostrum officiis rerum dolorem ut. Qui dolorem laborum vero possimus ullam unde. Est quidem consequatur quaerat quis perferendis. Sapiente vel eius dolorum magni. Ratione autem non quam sint tempore et ea.

Mollitia ut soluta aperiam omnis nesciunt perferendis possimus. Provident fugit qui voluptate voluptatem vel. Harum est quia reprehenderit laborum maiores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”