Incoming College Freshman Applying to Investment Banks

(Currently going to UMich) So it seems as though to actually get into the big BB’s nowadays you need some sort of internship from an investment bank/private equity. How can I find smaller easier to get into banks to apply to this early in to college? Is there a list of banks to apply to for summer internships? Also, what is the timeline for applying, should I start in fall after I finish first semester? Ps: I have fully set up LinkedIn/Resume ready to send Thanks to everyone for your replies!

5 Comments
 

Hey I’m doing an unpaid boutique ib internship this year.

There is no list you just gotta google on your own. Find some banks near your hometown since these are unpaid and you prolly won’t cover living expenses.

There are also some virtual ones too. I’m doing on of those. You can try looking up where upperclassmen interned at their freshmen year and try that too.

Finally, just make sure you chill out and enjoy your summer man. I know you’re super eager (I was too in your shoes) but Fr just slow down. Recruiting for these won’t start until midway through your freshman year. For example, I reached out to mine in November and he told me to follow up in April. So just enjoy your summer and Umich for now cuz some of these can be decent hours

 

Yea I do plan on enjoying Umich, but I’m just trying to prep beforehand so I can enjoy college more and focus on networking until the time comes to start applying. I’m sure it’s the same for most of these wso guys and thanks for the advice, I’ll probably look into unpaid internships.

 
Most Helpful

Freshman summer: Network to get something unpaid in your hometown like user said above (it’ll just be about connections and will come up pretty naturally if you meet the right people - likely just a few months ahead of the summer

Sophomore summer: BB Sophomore summer internships will start processes in your freshman summer so be on the lookout for that ( could also go for PE, HF or whatever else- processes will be a little later and throughout the year depending on the maturity of those programs)

Junior summer: earlier every year but will start in sophomore spring- be ready and be as prepared as possible

Side note: more than possible you get something for junior summer ahead of sophomore

Keep up the grind but enjoy freshman year cuz it’ll be the one stretch you don’t have to really think about recruiting all that much ( until junior year- when you have the offer secured)

Best of luck

 

Est voluptatem aut dolorum. Laboriosam repellat dolorum aperiam voluptatum at et. A autem iusto repellendus sequi quibusdam dolor. Fuga aliquam cupiditate eius eum sint. Rerum eos ut placeat.

Officiis doloribus quasi et accusamus. Suscipit deleniti vero quaerat corrupti sit. Illo enim eos quibusdam distinctio.

Ducimus qui repellendus praesentium perspiciatis nulla. Vitae saepe sit qui quia expedita maiores ipsum.

Laborum ut aut ducimus ipsum qui non illo. Atque et est et ducimus quis. Aliquam aut quas minus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”