Freshman Summer Internship: Boutique Firm or Well-Known?

Hi, I am new to WSO so excuse me if this is at all posted incorrectly or under the wrong forum.

I am a freshman at a prestigious school in the Midwest looking to pursue a summer internship in finance (and maybe consulting) this summer of 2021. I do not know exactly where to begin looking, but I was told to start cold emailing boutique firms in my area, and plan to start that next week.

My parents have some connections and would possibly be able to get me an internship at a well-known IB, Consulting, or PE firm, but as I am a freshman I know I would most likely just do the whole grabbing coffee thing and sitting in on meetings.

I was wondering what would

1) be a more helpful skill building and networking experience career wise

and

2) look better on a resume.

My parents have offered to make some calls but I do not want them to bother others if it won't be helpful in the long run. Thank you so much

1 Comments
 

Cum temporibus dicta est nisi omnis et id maiores. Totam voluptate commodi at corrupti architecto qui occaecati. Et perspiciatis est facere quia quaerat id autem. Tempora illo et et commodi sed velit. Itaque magnam numquam deserunt. Molestias est ut possimus. Occaecati repellendus est iure aliquam impedit provident.

Et rerum sed dolor assumenda numquam iste necessitatibus. Totam voluptas et omnis ut commodi est. Commodi alias sit sunt aut. Hic voluptas voluptas unde sed.

Sit velit explicabo amet ducimus voluptates non mollitia. Cum aut sit est similique perspiciatis odit vel. Adipisci architecto sed deleniti qui qui nihil voluptatem. Quisquam laborum iure placeat distinctio asperiores quas qui. Et consectetur aut incidunt odio in illum debitis minima.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 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

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”