Rising College Freshman — Advice on Leveraging MuniFinance IB Internship

Hi all,

I’m a rising college freshman who will be attending a non-target this fall, and I was fortunate enough to secure an internship in Investment Banking at a MM bank in their Municipal Finance group.

While I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, I’ve always been interested in pursuing M&A and ultimately hope to break into a BB or EB down the line and eventually PE. That said, I’m very aware that I’m starting from a gray area— I have no formal accounting/finance background, haven’t begun prepping for technical or behavioral interviews, and I’m still trying to figure out how to best position myself for freshman/sophomore (if possible) and junior summer recruiting, especially for PE or M&A roles.

A few questions I’d appreciate advice on:

How can I best leverage my current MuniFinance IB experience to pivot into M&A or another more traditional coverage/product group?

When and how should I begin networking or reaching out to professionals to make that switch?

What can I do during the school year or even now to build a stronger technical foundation (courses, clubs, certifications, etc.)?

How realistic is it to aim for IB/PE internships, freshman/sophomore summer, coming from a non-target + muni background, especially in groups like M&A or TMT?

Any insights from people who started in less traditional groups, came from non-targets, or made early transitions would be really appreciated.