Premed to Investment Banking

I’m a sophomore (at a school that might be a target, not sure though because of my lack of knowledge in this field) looking to switch into investment banking. I know that recruitment starts soon for sophomores and I’m very behind if I want to start. I do not have any knowledge of the process but I do have the next 2.5 weeks in winter break to prepare as much as I can. I want to try and see where this takes me and I am willing to put in the work this next semester. Where should I start and what should I start with?

11 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Find Alumni from your school through LinkedIn, cover all banks w/ cold emails (BB, EB, MM, LMM, Botique.) Fins the 400 Question Mergers and Inquisitions Question Guide and drill the basics for each topic to start (Accounting, Valuation, M&A, etc,.) Find practice Financial models, start with 3-Statement, get that cold then move to DCF, Merger, maybeeee LBO if you have the time.

Craft your personal story (why you want to make this transition, your story, etc)

And that’s a good start!

 

Okay relax he’s a sophomore he doesn’t need to start ripping 3 statement models, DCFs, and LBOs lmao you need to calm down.

Most importantly just know what banking even is, hammer those easy technicals, and just network hard.

 

I did the same last year recruiting cycle. Was fully premed, took almost all the prerequisite, then decided it wasn’t for me and did a full 180 and began recruiting this past February.

I landed a 2023 Summer offer after around 3 months of recruiting and made a lot of mistakes along the way.

I’d probably want to make a whole guide with my experiences diving head first into recruiting without any knowledge but just some general tips given your timeline.

1) Study and master Technicals now

I’d botch a technical and never hear back. You will not get an offer just being decent at techs, you have to know them like the back of your hand. Right now is a great time to start.

2) Email alumni from your school for coffee chats

3) Have your story

I wouldn’t pigeonhole myself strictly healthcare baking but that could be a good story. Have good answers to why IB and tell me about yourself.

4) School infosessions

This is the most underrated part of recruiting nobody mentioned to me and I would argue helped me and my friends more than coffee chats/phone calls with bankers. I’m lucky enough that banks would send their people to our school for on campus infosessions and even virtual ones. Registering for these gets you in their database and was a great way to meet bankers at a specific place in person and form a real relationship.

Good luck and feel free to PM me.

 

Honestly, practicing LBO builds from scratch is what helped me the most in understanding how to walk around the 3 financial statements and general finance concepts. 3 months of prep and you will be fairly fluent in accounting/valuation technicals. My 2 cents. 

 

Laborum sint inventore deserunt et delectus. Sapiente et doloremque et culpa nesciunt deserunt inventore. Error molestias repellat et eaque. Laudantium corrupti et natus occaecati. Quae sint laborum ex nihil. Eum sit fuga consequatur a maxime.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • 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 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”