Delay graduation for junior IB internships?

I'm a current sophomore at USC seeking advice on how to proceed during this recruiting season. I transferred to USC my sophomore year from a non-target, so I'm a bit late to the recruiting game. I have a high gpa but no internships, so I'm wondering whether I can land a junior summer IB internship

Originally, I thought I would attempt to recruit this semester and if I didn't land anything, delay my graduation by one semester to essentially reclassify as a freshman and gain another shot. However, I've been warned that this may not work as banks might remember me and not give me another chance the following year. 

I'm not sure how I should proceed now, and it seems like I need to just pick one or the other right now. Ideally, I would land something this year, but it seems unlikely considering I didn't have an internship between my freshman and sophomore summer. 

Other potentially helpful info is that I'm currently not in the Marshall School of Business and rather majoring in Dornsife Economics, but I'm attempting to internally transfer at the of this semester. I'm not sure how much banks care about this, but I definitely know it has some level of importance. 

If anyone has any advice I'd really appreciate it! 

2 Comments
 

Rerum quod in est laborum iusto unde. Inventore ut inventore sapiente rerum.

Ut dolor id id et reiciendis sunt sit distinctio. Accusamus ut eaque in assumenda. Ut iste aliquam veniam sunt quaerat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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

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...”