Skipping Sophomore Summer Internship

With Summer 2021 looking like we'll have a reasonably reopened United States, my friends and I have begun making plans for the upcoming summer. I am questioning the impact of skipping doing an internship at a local boutique this summer, in order to go and road trip around the US with friends.

For context, I'm a non-target sophomore looking at WF/UBS/DB and a few mid tier BB's. Decent experiences, pretty personable, have no worries about technical knowledge.

I've had a pretty negative college experience so far - had trouble finding a good group of friends initially and have lived at my parents house over the course of COVID, and have been adhering pretty strictly to guidelines. Feeling as if I'm missing something from these years of my life.

Many analysts that I've spoke to have encouraged me to take advantage of the freedom that being young provides, and my parents have as well. What I am concerned about is the impact of not having any direct IB experience on Summer Analyst recruiting. I'm okay with taking a hit to my competitiveness for positions in order to do this - however, if this would leave me dead in the water, I'd reconsider. 

Appreciate any input anyone can share. 

6 Comments
 

Honestly, depends on how badly you want an offer. If you want to risk it and potentially not get an offer then I would say go on that road trip, but if you want to look back and know that you did the best that you could securing the best offer you could get then I would suggest do the internship. With classes WFH you could even road trip and do class, or do it before the internship which usually starts in June. 

Always pros and cons to your choices. 

 

unfortunately u will fuck urself coming from a non target and skipping a sophomore internship.. networking and how personable u are dont even mean jack shit anymore if HR decides your resume isnt good enough compared to the pool for a hirevue and then actually passing the hirevue (judged by HR also lol)

it sucks but it is what it is, and kids who apply these days i mean fuck me how did i ever make it in the first place hahah. honestly u need every edge u can give urself man, i wish networking still had an impact or counted for something at my firm but yeah it is what it is

 

Are you at JPM? cause from my friends there it seems like networking is worth nothing there other than to get a sense of the firm etc. 

 

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