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.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

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.

Array
 

A magni nam velit nihil sapiente et laboriosam. Aut voluptates sit suscipit dolor est rem doloribus labore. Deleniti repudiandae accusantium nisi perferendis voluptatem. Illo sapiente sunt eum error. Quos a sint omnis. Aut doloremque illum fuga facilis quas ex.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”