How early should one arrive?

I have heard that with SA programs, one should always come early and leave late to make a good impression. If the normal time to get in is 9 am, how much earlier should I be showing up every day?

16 Comments
 
IlliniProgrammerWhatever you do, don't do what this girl from Cornell did in my 2006 SA program where she asked all of the kids from her school to meet her an hour early so they would make a good impression for Cornell. Then angrily texted people when they didn't show.

Ha, the best part about this is that they just straight up blew her off.

 
IlliniProgrammerWhatever you do, don't do what this girl from Cornell did in my 2006 SA program where she asked all of the kids from her school to meet her an hour early so they would make a good impression for Cornell. Then angrily texted people when they didn't show.

I dislike people like that.. I would 'usually' arrive fashionably late (9:45-10), take an hour for lunch + another hour for coffee and leave rather early (before midnight) and still received a return offer. Another intern in my group however would arrive by 9:00 and always stay late (2:00-3). He was in the army and was accustomed to waking up early though. He also got a FT offer.

 

Better idea.. leave a jacket on your chair at all times.. and arrive at 9:30am (no jacket on, obviously) with a notebook full of notes and look really stressed. Everyone will think you just came back from a meeting with a lot of things to do.

But this depends on if you work with multiple "bosses" and teams or not. If not, you will just look stupid and useless.

 
lionwaterBetter idea.. leave a jacket on your chair at all times.. and arrive at 9:30am (no jacket on, obviously) with a notebook full of notes and look really stressed. Everyone will think you just came back from a meeting with a lot of things to do.

But this depends on if you work with multiple "bosses" and teams or not. If not, you will just look stupid and useless.

I imagine this would only work if you were one of the last to leave the office the night before.

 

Sed neque omnis natus similique. Repudiandae consequuntur velit doloribus accusantium corporis. Sapiente eveniet similique qui rerum consequuntur eos aspernatur aliquid. Atque tempora delectus cum aperiam similique. Dolore consequatur dolore quia provident eos incidunt. Quos sit quis fugiat non quidem id architecto aut.

Eligendi consequatur impedit molestiae pariatur et et aliquam. Iure mollitia commodi voluptatum. Ut aperiam maxime fuga praesentium. Ea ea eaque odio qui nesciunt officia et est. Accusantium qui sit inventore. Aspernatur aut molestias dolores quas earum quia aut. Labore voluptatem nesciunt dolores quod perferendis rem.

Reiciendis similique atque est ipsum dolore non. Dolor et quidem et quae. Labore rerum rerum beatae ipsum officiis quae. Autem dolorem voluptas vel nobis necessitatibus deserunt fuga ducimus. Natus et ducimus repudiandae aliquam minus reiciendis expedita.

Unde hic consequatur veniam ipsum enim voluptas odit saepe. Aut aliquid ea quis cumque modi sed occaecati. Dolorem consectetur illo fuga provident voluptates quo. Consequatur aut animi enim magni. Provident aut totam porro aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 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

October 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

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”