Final Year Finance & Economics Student - What should I do? Apply for Grad Roles or Internships?
Hello, as the title says I am a final year BCOM student studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia, majoring in Finance & Economics, studying under a scholarship for students from disadvantaged financial backgrounds. I would like to either work a government related Economics job in the future, or in IB, PE, or Corp Fin. My WAM is 73.9 with an overall upward trend. I performed poorly in my first year in 2022 (finished with a 65 WAM) due to online learning. I'm aiming for 75+ by graduation. I took a six-month gap in 2023 where I travelled and built an e-commerce store for fun.
I’ve had interviews for finance and economics internships at the state treasury and a federal department (energy), where I was placed on a merit list for future internships and encouraged to apply for their graduate program. The assistant director of the federal department invited me for a coffee chat to discuss entering the industry, which is so far one of the only connections I've made. The only internship I have successfully landed is a university-sourced one starting in March at a major wine producer, working with AI, market research, and ROI analysis. I have experience in multiple case competitions, volunteering and working as a martial arts instructor, and freelance copywriting.
Since I was unable to secure a summer internship in any of the industries I'm interested in working in (IB, Corporate Finance, PE etc), I'm thinking of the best course of action for graduating with either a grad role or industry relevant internship. Would it be a good idea to apply for Big 4 Strategy & Transactions grad roles and economic analyst government grad roles whilst targeting IB summer internships (saying I would pursue an honours year, making me a penultimate student). Is there anything else I can do to maximise my chances of securing either an internship or grad role in the following months.
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