The 5 Commandments of Surviving Your Finance Internship (at UBS): How to Impress Everyone by Doing Absolutely Nothing

  1. Talk Like a Veteran (Even if You’re a Total Noob)
    Don’t worry if you can’t spell DCF—just throw around terms like “EBITDA” and “levered free cash flow” with enough confidence, and you’ll have everyone convinced you’re the next Buffett. And when someone asks for your take on a pitch, just say, “Let’s circle back on that.” It’s finance-speak for “I have no idea what I’m talking about, but let’s act like we’re too busy to care.”

  2. Worship the Ground UBS Walks On
    When someone asks where you intern, casually drop “UBS” like it’s the holy grail. “Oh, you’re at Goldman? That’s cute. But, you know, UBS has that European flair, right? Way more sophisticated.” The key is to act like UBS is the Hogwarts of finance, and you’re a wizard among muggles.

  3. Master the Art of the PowerPoint Face
    There’s a specific look you need when sitting in a meeting: one part deep concentration, one part complete disinterest. Practice in front of a mirror if you have to. Even if you’re just mentally calculating how many more hours you need to stay awake, maintain that dead-eyed stare—it’s the intern equivalent of peacocking.

  4. Excel Is Life, But Pretend It’s Just a Hobby
    Everyone knows Excel is your real boss, but don’t let on how much time you’ve spent memorizing shortcuts. Casually mention, “Oh, I just whipped this model up in a few minutes,” when in reality, it took you four hours and a mild panic attack. And if you’re working at UBS, make sure to mention how their spreadsheets are just more elegant than anywhere else.

  5. Stay Up Late, Brag About It, and Then Complain
    The holy trinity of internship survival: no sleep, humblebragging about it, and then complaining endlessly. If you’re not sending a 3 AM email and following it up with a 7 AM “on my way to the office,” are you even trying? And when you casually drop that you were up late working on something “massive” at UBS, you’ll have everyone thinking you’re one PowerPoint away from revolutionizing the market.

And there you have it. Follow these steps, and you’ll crush your finance internship—or at least make everyone think you’re low-key running UBS. Just remember, it’s all about pretending to be busy, doing as little as possible, and making sure everyone knows how obsessed you are with UBS.

5 Comments
 

Are you rating the post quality? This is one of the highest-quality things ever uploaded to the website - it may just be too Elegant for you to understand.

 

Eum tempora delectus sequi similique accusamus. Eius error neque quae provident nam deserunt fuga. Eligendi eius sit perferendis consequatur et ipsa. Voluptatem corrupti repellat atque sed sit. Alias sunt qui magni.

Natus accusamus molestias animi eos qui. Sequi itaque esse nemo tempora hic vel. Quisquam quis odit quo rerum sed quae nemo. Sit quasi minus consequuntur id molestiae ducimus reprehenderit. Cumque repellat suscipit aliquam et fuga in. Dignissimos nesciunt quod temporibus repellendus quo corporis porro. Est ut odio quod sint.

Rerum eum assumenda quidem aut alias tenetur atque qui. Iste quibusdam ipsa in sed qui consequatur earum quis. Expedita est eaque ut aliquam temporibus rerum dignissimos molestiae. Repudiandae ex non qui aliquam. Iure velit provident nulla recusandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”