Jul 29, 2026

so confused about 28 SA timeline

honkbear's picture
honkbear
Senior Chimp IB
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hi everyone — im a class of 2029 student at a target planning to recruit for summer 2028 ib internships and im a little confused on the timeline

is it basically:

- prepare technicals and behaviorals now
- start networking in august/september 2026
- submit applications as soon as they start opening early 2027

im mainly confused about the networking part:
- when should i actually start reaching out? is august/september too early, on time, or late?
- should i mostly reach out to analysts or also associates/vps?
- whats the whole deal with the on-campus coffee chatting/recruiting team?
- after a coffee chat, how often should i follow up?
- when applications open, do i email everyone ive spoken to and let them know i applied?
- are referrals something you ask for or do people usually offer?

also am i missing anything else besides networking and technical/behavioral prep?

would really appreciate any advice from people who have gone through recruiting recently. im beyond confused by the whole timeline and am wondering if im missing anything especially critical. thank you!

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29 Comments
 
IB
Analyst 1 in IB-M&A
Baboon
3h
Most Helpful
  1. I wouldn't start reaching out quite yet, maybe wait until mid-late August. Generally it's good practice to wait even longer but given the earlier timelines this year, I think August is reasonable.
  2. Mostly analysts and associates. VPs are usually fine too but would do that much more sparingly.
  3. On-campus coffee chats are more formal and are organized by the bank itself. Generally, depending on the school and amount of interest and time slots, you have to apply for a slot in advance. These are really useful as the banks tend to track engagement from these official events and they often help your resume rise towards the top of the pile when interviews start going out. These vary a lot from bank to bank and school to school, but would generally suggest going into these prepared for it to feel more like a pre-interview. Probably won't get anything crazy technical but I remember a lot of these feeling much more structured and less conversational than a normal coffee chat. Nothing to stress out over but would 100% bring your resume, learn about the firm and recent deals, and brush up on some basic interview practices in advance.
  4. You should send a thank you email within a few hours of the coffee chat, just with a brief note and mentioning a few specific things that were helpful ("Your story about transitioning to banking from consulting was helpful because of...."). After that, would only follow up as needed. Don't want to be pushy and most of these people get tons of networking emails each cycle, so no need to be a nuisance. That being said, if you connected with someone really well, they offered to chat again, offered a referral, etc., it's fine to reach back out. Just would be mindful of not overdoing it and no need to request a call every time. Some things are easier answered over an email.
  5. Similar answer to 4. Would certainly not email everyone you've spoken to. Maybe pick two or three people that you had a good convo with and seemed eager to help you out. Emailing too many people is going to make you seem like you're doing too much. Email can also be super simple: "I hope you're doing well. Just wanted to check in as I just applied for the 2028 Summer Analyst role. As I begin to prepare for a prospective interview, I wanted to see if you had time to help me hone in my preparation." Makes it seem like you aren't just begging for a referral and also gives you a chance for some useful prep.
  6. It's a mix and you'll get differing replies to this. I personally would steer away from asking for a referral the first time you speak to them. Sometimes people will offer them on their own, but it's not super common. I'd wait until a second or third call with someone that you have good rapport with if you're going to ask directly. Comes off less transactional IMO. But, like I said, some people will feel differently about this.
  7. Would recommend looking at some case studies. Lots of banks are adding these to their superdays and they're hard to be ready for if you've never seen them. SA case studies are generally pretty high level but still worth familiarizing yourself with in advance. Also ask around peers that have interviewed at the same banks in years past. You'd be shocked to learn how many questions are reused year over year. 
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Just_Wanna_Mog's picture
Senior Chimp ?
2h

Start now man. Shit is gonna be wild this cycle. I’ve been on 50+ calls and have IRL coffee chats in NYC schedule for next week. Not even saying that to brag but to show you how dedicated kids are this cycle.

My buddies are doing even more than me and so I say all of this to say you need to start right now. Like me and all my friends can do a Paper LBO cold and like there’s other kids who genuinely can’t walk u through $10 depreciation .

The people saying to wait to prep are just giving you bad advice. Nobody, and I mean nobody will ding you for networking a few weeks before everyone else starts.

Or hey, don’t listen to me and wait bro up to you…

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IB
Analyst 1 in IB-M&A
Baboon
1h

Recruited for ‘27, honestly would start interview prep now, might as well start and not push it off since you will have to do it eventually. Networking doesn’t start until early October I would say, but that’s something you can feel out based on what everyone else is doing.

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