What is the timeline to break into a BB/EB from a non-target?
Currently a freshman at a non target and trying to understand what the timeline should realistically look like for breaking into a BB or EB.
Since it’s spring of freshman year, I’m wondering what I should actually be doing right now:
• Is it still possible to land some type of freshman summer internship? If so, what kinds of roles should I be targeting?
• Who should I be coffee chatting with at this stage? Current analysts, associates, alumni, or upperclassmen who already went through the process?
• Should I already be preparing technicals or is that more of a summer thing?
Would really appreciate any advice from people who went through the non target route and what you wish you did during freshman spring.
Broke in from a non-target for SA '27. It is absolutely still possible to land something for freshman summer. Expect it to be unpaid. Tons of students have search fund internships now, but it's still a fantastic option paired with being in your school's clubs. You can get internships at places like search funds all the way up until the beginning of summer break (sometimes even later).
As far as coffee chats: before summer, stick only to upperclassmen. Wouldn't recommend networking with anyone employed FT right now unless it's a warm intro from a family member/family friend/etc, in which case do it. Cold outreach can wait for the summer and into next school year. Chats that are closer to the interview date are harder to get but at the same time better because you're fresh in their memory for referrals, whereas networking way before, you're liable to be forgotten in the sea of other people they'll talk to afterwards. Not always the case, but something to keep in mind.
Highly recommend learning technicals starting today. Obviously don't let it negatively impact your GPA (GPA is #1 priority right now), but I seriously regret not starting on technicals sooner. Because I didn't learn them until after many of my coffee chats, I had tons of wasted phone convos at top banks that I could have turned into interviews but didn't. Keep up to date on markets as well, and try to understand what's going on through the lens of a banker. This will put you ahead of 80% of non-target students.
Thank you for the advice! So would you suggest coffee chatting upperclassmen from both my school and other schools? And to land an internship, do you have any tips on that? Should those be through cold-emailing since I heard that dropping your resume in their applications is sometimes not very effective?
Del
No problem. I’d focus mostly on your school for chats. This depends on how many students go into IB from your school, however. If you have a lot that do, then you’ll have enough kids to fill up your schedule. If not, focus on chatting from other universities as well. I’m not speaking from experience on this as I didn’t reach out to upperclassmen from other schools when I was recruiting, so I can’t guarantee if it works or not. Can’t hurt in the slightest to try, though, and I recommend you don’t make these chats transactional. You should be focused on learning as much as you can.
For freshman internship: I landed a search fund internship last summer by applying through my school’s Handshake, and it was a fantastic experience. I’d recommend looking there first and applying to every single opportunity that comes up. Outside of that, I do recommend cold-emailing and networking with them. Widen your net as well. It’s not just search funds that take freshman interns. Email small growth equity firms, the small regional boutique banks, hell, even lmm/mm private equity firms in your city might work since they could just have you cold-calling potential acquisition targets.
+ look on searchfunder for funds to intern at. Be proactive and email, email, email. Learn the search fund model and have cool companies/industries to talk about before you get on these types of chats.
Wassup Eric my fellow freshman
(1) Yes it is possible but be proactive and get off your butt and start sending emails
(2) Probably current seniors and alumni, then analysts in october. It's good to networth with seniors first because they can refer you internally once they are working FT
(3) IMO just prepare when you got free time and review over time
Take advice with fat grain of salt. I am from Target.
Cold email your way into a boutique investment banking internship for freshman summer
Any advice on how to approach these emails? Who should I try to email in the bank, analysts/associates or higher? And how do I approach the internship part, do I directly state in the email or should I ask to coffee chat?
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