What should my senior year (HS) internship be? (Summer before college)

I have three options:

  1. Bank of America Student Leaders

- Intern for a non-finance related non-profit - BoA name associated with it - Paid

  1. Real Estate Acquisition “PE” Firm

- Headed by a older legend in the space - Somewhat unlikely I get it, also very unlikely anyone is asking for internships there anyways. - Newer firm, small. - Room to learn and grow, maybe prepare for REIB, get to speak with a legend

  1. Commercial Real Estate Firm

- Get to work on $10MM+ transactions for commercial spaces in an urban area - Likely I get it - Good experience, unlikely to do anything impactful as I’m a high school senior.

I don’t want to be the coffeeboy, I just want to learn as much as possible over the summer. The competitive edge from these internships could be game-changing. Looking into IB as a post-college career.

18 Comments
 

That’s my logic.

Would rather get something done to get that “competitive edge” and some experience under my belt beforehand.

I had my fun in HS, I can still have fun working lmao

 

You’re right, but it’s not that competitive that you need to get an internship before freshman year. Once you get on campus there will be opportunities to build out your resume like getting an internship during the school year and getting involved with ECs.

Enjoy one of the last free summers you have with your friends. You have a lifetime to work.

 

I would do something fun and hang out with your friends because the finance industry in the end really values people who are personable and fun to be around, rather than a machine.

From your choices, I would probably say 1,3,2 in that order. The bigger CRE firm would probably let you do more, the smaller PE firm doesn't have an internship program so they wouldn't be familiar with training you and giving you work to do, since they don't know if you are qualified at all. Anyways, you are likely to do administrative duties.

Name of BofA is good for networking later on with BofA people, and CRE firm would give more 'experience'.

 

Yo, I'm in very similar circumstances as you (Current HS senior in NY likely going non-target/semi-target) and also looking for internships.  Can I pm you and ask about how you found these opportunities?  

 

The only internship this kid should be looking for is smashing 4lokos and ripping dye all summer long

 

Sit est vel cum itaque ipsa quia aut. Dolores ab et dolore provident ad repellat sint. Natus est qui quis ut nihil.

Error incidunt repellat consequuntur repudiandae ab. Et recusandae consectetur veritatis consequatur id inventore ut. Non molestias in iste voluptatem dolores eos iusto.

Sequi ut maxime mollitia quia reprehenderit. Enim non ad voluptatem et enim dolores ex suscipit. Quis est aperiam dolor consequatur reprehenderit. Id et ut qui molestiae provident. Eius a eos nesciunt qui voluptatum eos. Dolorem earum a magni veritatis. Voluptas laudantium nihil minus sed qui velit.

Aut in et quis provident quis. Libero officiis inventore maiores assumenda est sed qui. Totam reiciendis ut perferendis minus mollitia. Qui unde accusamus maxime numquam ab. Enim nihil facere tempore quas nemo repellendus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (27) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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...”