48 Comments
 

I would say the person above was being overly harsh by saying you go to a shitty school. I go to a target where the most competitive kids always get top buyside sophomore internships. From what I understand, these places don't give looks to nontarget schools. This is out of students' control, so that's why I think it's unfair to respond so negatively. It's also possible the original comment goes to a target but is misinformed. Regardless, we are all here to help each other.

comment to OP: I would generally think of it as "buckets". Many people will do just fine having literally any relevant finance/banking experience for sophomore summer... but here are some of the buckets by selectivity/prestige:

  1. any brand name buyside - Apollo, Blackstone, Oak Tree, Baupost, etc. I know all hire. The list is actually quite long and I can PM you a more exhaustive list based on what I've seen. I've seen people get in through girls who invest, personal connections, being a competitive student at target + networking, winning stock pitch competitions sponsored by the firm, and more

  2. any brand name bank - a lot of BBs hire. Combo of competitive diversity candidate + networking or being a top candidate at your school + networking (the two are not mutually exclusive by any means)

  3. any top buyside that is outside of what is considered the most recognizable names - think small HFs that manage less than 10 bn but if you google them could find a few good articles implicating they aren't so obscure or small that people on the buyside don't know them. A few (5 or so) have resume drops at targets

  4. I would actually put MBB consulting or software engineer, etc. at large recognizable tech firms here. Not sure about the other two, but I know Mckinsey has a sophomore diversity program. I've seen sophomore internships at large tech firms but don't know how recruiting works. I would intuitively slot a software engineer at Google, FB over a no name boutique IB... Yes it's a different industry but your question is prestigious sophomore internships for someone wanting to go into banking. If you study for finance technicals. have finance clubs on resume, network well, I'm pretty positive Google > no name bank.

  5. No name buyside and no name bank. I put it in same bucket because it will be case by case including factors purely outside firm reputation. Consider factors like structure of intern program, type of work for interns. Can get these through resume drops at targets and regional schools that are the same region as the firm. Can also get through cold emailing or connections.

  6. Finance roles outside of above.

  7. Non finance outside of above,

 

this dude is unfortunately all gas, haven't received a list and doubt all of these firms hire.

 

Thank you so much for your list! May I ask you is it possible for you to PM the more exhaustive list of buyside sophomore opportunities based on what you have seen? I am currently a rising sophomore. Thank you! Really appreciate it.

 

Perhaps a more unconventional "buyside" internship, but I've seen internships at a large institutional investor (pension fund, endowment, foundation, etc.) pan out pretty well for junior year placement.

Jokes aside you learn a lot and get exposure to PE/HF in a FoF like form because you are evaluating who to allocate to. Also can be really helpful if you can make a good relationship with the CIO which could potentially help you for buyside recruiting later on if you secure the banking role

 

Nisi cumque ut commodi rerum dolor pariatur ratione. At et libero ut dolore dolore voluptas sapiente numquam. Recusandae et exercitationem dolorum dolore est voluptates.

Minima quia dolor fugiat sit omnis dignissimos. Est et reiciendis soluta quidem. Maxime natus qui dolor quia.

Ullam dolores praesentium dolorem doloremque. Non animi natus dolor eaque. Quisquam eum consequatur pariatur. Et quo accusantium repellat asperiores dignissimos.

Autem tempora non ex est sunt eos. Dolor eveniet molestias illo unde est harum. Esse doloribus sequi ex sit at sit cumque.

 

Et aut sunt voluptas nobis minus. Optio aut consequatur eius. Vel itaque quia minima aperiam quod impedit. Fugiat quod sint ut necessitatibus ut.

Recusandae ut vero voluptatem nemo iusto. Doloribus consequatur voluptatem explicabo occaecati omnis quisquam dolor. Tempora rerum ut facilis consequatur voluptas et et.

Similique vel deleniti labore odit beatae qui. Ipsa eaque hic sint magni aut facilis ducimus. Incidunt nihil velit ratione. Voluptatum numquam enim magnam eaque ut sit ratione quia.

 

Eum quisquam est sint facere voluptate. Voluptatem sunt ut voluptas similique alias minima. Deleniti ullam recusandae doloribus sequi. Omnis et explicabo mollitia. Sed est esse id sit earum. Nihil ducimus cum nihil quis.

Commodi harum assumenda sit harum. Qui facilis facilis dolor perferendis accusamus. Est nihil rerum eos laudantium id quia vel. Ut sunt modi iusto non non beatae. Amet voluptate nam mollitia et laudantium id. Adipisci minus culpa incidunt. Aliquam voluptatibus dolores temporibus.

Sequi magni dolorem autem perspiciatis. Totam tenetur aperiam sit nobis esse. Consequatur libero repudiandae id ut animi laudantium modi. Ut fugit accusantium quisquam velit similique quibusdam.

Repellendus aut quis nihil provident. Dolorem adipisci doloremque esse. Tempora quo quia et placeat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”