Networking and Internships for rising Sophomores

Hello all,
I am going to be a rising sophomore in a very non target school in chicago (not a community college but it is unheard of outside chicago), majoring in Econ and Poli Sci.  I am set to finish this current semester with a gpa of anywhere from 3.8 to 4.0.  While I do intend on eventually transferring out after the completion of my sophomore year, I understand that I will still have to network extra hard.  However due to a higher GPA, and previous internship experience with my US senator, I feel like I might have a shot at some of the freshman/sophomore diversity program internships, such as one at deloitte.  While I understand I will not be able to secure an IBD internship this summer, I would still like to find an internship in finance in general.  I have often heard that sometimes PE or PWM firms will be open to a freshman intern, but I haven't seen job postings anywhere.  If I would have to contact the firm itself, who in the firm should I contact?  A VP?  

My second question is about networking.  While I understand that networking is mostly done with Alumni, there simply isn't a large pool of Alumni working in IB.  Should I try and find other people who either interned at the Senate, or worked for the Senate, and try and find connections that way?  
 

1 Comments
 

Officiis assumenda consequuntur maiores quibusdam. Aut minima eligendi fugiat. Rerum totam sapiente pariatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”