Seeking Advice on Securing a Summer Internship

Hello,

I am an international student who has recently transferred to a semi-target business school program as referred to on WSO (such as UCB, UCLA, USC, etc.). This upcoming semester will be my first semester as a junior (3rd year, 1st semester). After completing my first semester as a junior, I am required to fulfill my mandatory military service, which I plan to start right after this semester to align with the summer internship schedule. This means I will be on leave for approximately two years.

During my leave, I intend to study for the CFA Level 2 and FRM Part 1 certifications, as I already hold the CFA Level 1. Additionally, I have around two years of work experience at the Korea Housing Finance Corporation. I also completed a management and finance internship at Coupang during my freshman summer and a research internship at Shinhan Investment Corp. during my sophomore summer.

Assuming I have completed my CFA Level 2 and obtained the FRM Part 1 certification, do you think it is feasible for me to secure a summer internship at a Tier 2 investment bank, if not a bulge bracket bank? Given that I am a transfer student and an international student, I am concerned about the difficulties I might face in securing an internship. The two-year gap due to military service will also make it challenging to network effectively for internship opportunities.

Could you please provide some tips on how to improve my chances of securing a summer internship under these circumstances? I would greatly appreciate your advice.

Thank you very much.