University Freshman trying to find internship

Hello everyone,

I am currently attending a non target university but am enrolled in a investment banking program the school offers. Many people have told me that it is almost impossible to find an internship in investment banking as a freshman and that I should aim for private equity or a hedge fund. How would you guys here recommend I go about contacting firms in the area for a possible internship. People told me I should use pitchbook to find contact information and reach out. What are some other things I should do to land a relevant finance internship that could help me build a stronger resume in time for recruiting when I become a junior. Thank you.

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Never heard of the pitchbook approach, but here's what I would do if I were you. Since those people who said that it will be very hard to get an internship in investment banking at any size firm as a freshman, and an internship at a large firm in another area of the financial services industry, were right; I would reach out to all of the local firms in my area and see if they might have need of a summer intern. Many firms will ignore you, or say that they won't need an intern, so it is imperative that you email/call as many firms as you can, so as to increase your chances of getting a summer internship. This is not to say that you definitely won't get an AM/HF internship at a large or medium-size firm, you should definitely try for those. But in my experience and the experience of friends, smaller firms are more willing to take freshman and sophomores than MM's and BB's. So just reach out to as many firms as possible.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

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