11 Comments
 
  1. Breathe. You won't have too much downtime for long.
  2. If you do have free time, go Google Excel shortcuts. My favourites: CTRL + R, Copy cells right CTRL + D, Copy cells down ALT + =, SUM (Excel tries to determine if it's cells to the left or above)

Look for windows of opportunity (read: when the other analysts / associates / staffer aren't swamped) to ask to help.

 
Best Response
"jumpupnyc123"

Hi guys, I just finished my sophomore year and just begin my internship (quite early) at a boutique IB. This is my first time working and I am a bit lost how I should make the most out of my internship. It is a small office but they have very good deal flows and everyone is very busy. On my first day I just sit and read some analyst training stuffs and help an analyst update excel. However, he told me I did that very slowly so how can I improve my excel skill? (eg. Shortcuts/ format/ vlookup) and powerpoint skill for IB? Should I take a crash course? Any resource out there I should take a look? I know I have to do most of the learning by my own and I have to earn their trust first so I can get more responsibilities. The thing that worried me is everyone seems so busy and I am the only intern. I don't want to just sit and be invisible all day but I also don't want to bother them too much. Please advise. Thanks a lot!!

2015 summer internship

Not to be a shill for Patrick, but the Breaking Into Wall Street "Excellence With Excel" course was fantastic for me. (And, at $99, incredibly priced compared to the other $299 courses.) The videos were good, but the printouts and guides were huge, as were the "after" excel files. I keep the Quick Reference Guide and the Keyboard Shortcut Guide by my desk.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

As said above, use all those shortcuts wihout a mouse. You'll be slow the first day, then you'll start remembering each shortcut - until it becomes second nature to use them. If youre dragging a formula (ctrl d or ctrl r) copy them and then use alt esv so you can find the values later on if you need to (Ctrl F). Also, remember that when you press ctrl anad an arrow, it takes you until the last number on that row / column, which makes itt a lot faster than keeping an arrow pressed for about 20 seconds.

 

Rerum magni rerum at sed incidunt dolores. Doloribus quia et quo culpa minus quos. Rerum earum mollitia illum soluta architecto. Dolores facere nemo et suscipit ullam. Nam consequatur quis temporibus. Sunt qui a dolore perferendis aut sint.

Itaque magni consequuntur molestias quas nam. Reiciendis hic quisquam voluptas dolorum eaque et. Voluptatem voluptatem cupiditate ut rerum facilis cupiditate optio. Assumenda nostrum a ut libero minus consequuntur enim qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Guggenheim Partners No 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (81) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”