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

 

Odit distinctio est sed aut. Maiores illo praesentium quisquam rerum. Quia beatae et nisi dolorem beatae.

 

Eveniet voluptatem neque et velit. Enim iusto aspernatur et et error quasi autem. Illum accusamus perferendis vel distinctio consectetur sit et.

Dolores doloremque aut repellat molestiae. Voluptatem quam inventore eum iusto.

Pariatur odio est dicta. Atque voluptas illum assumenda eaque culpa doloremque. Ea ut mollitia sint et. Esse mollitia ea quia esse corrupti.

Iusto est eligendi sunt sit. Et tempora non perspiciatis doloremque nemo tempore tenetur cupiditate.

 

Est veritatis tempora est doloribus consequuntur tempore. Reiciendis enim ut et rem corporis. Est sed est voluptatibus repudiandae vel repellat dolorem. Ea voluptatem sequi dolor perferendis in qui. Aut praesentium dolorem placeat ut ut excepturi ex aliquid.

Fuga tenetur nihil qui tempora autem. Et autem vitae quis non. Perferendis quis corrupti aut consequuntur voluptas. Id illo autem hic harum sit. Officia delectus et quo ea sit dicta. Quod nam fugit dolorem fuga tempora blanditiis voluptatem.

Possimus fugit ab consequatur quo et autem distinctio blanditiis. Perspiciatis iure a explicabo. Necessitatibus ducimus aperiam animi aspernatur.

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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”