Which internship would you take if you were me?

I'm a junior at a Top 25 school majoring in applied mathematics with a 3.8. I've never taken a finance or econ class in my life, but I read the WSJ daily and decided recently that I want to break into the finance industry.

I'm money-driven, have an entrepreneurial spirit (its my dream to start my own fund one day) and am motivated to work very hard to build a sick career, though I want to actually enjoy my 20's and have a life outside of work as well.

Here are my three options (I am not applying to I-banking positions because they pretty much require a finance/business degree) for internships next summer:

1) Hedge fund - a relative of mine is a director at one and could get me an internship

2) Actuarial intern at insurance company - have been recruiting this semester, locked down one at a life insurance company. I am considering this route because the hours, pay and work-life balance are solid. However, I understand the ceiling is lower than it is for my other options, and I'm a pretty ambitious guy so it may not be the right choice.

3) trading firms - will interview for intern positions in January at prop. trading firms

So considering these three choices and my goals which one do you guys think I should take? I'm relatively new to the world of finance (was content to spend my undergrad thus far partying a lot and studying just enough to get decent grades up until now) so any advice would be really appreciated!

3 Comments
 

Wrong, i'm a non-bus/finance major and I'm applying to IB ONLY. its a requirement for some wall street jobs later in your career, the 2 years of IB, so it opens more doors than it closes.

But, since its already kinda late to network/prepare for those, you should keep #1 as a really really good backup, and #3 as also extremely good depending where you get an offer. don't even consider #2 if you don't want to be pigeon holed. you can come to that after whenever* if you don't like #1 or 3. can't go the other way (might be exaggerating, but it'd be easier to go from 1 or 3 to 2)

 
Best Response

Maxime temporibus dolorem quo nulla atque vero quis. Est voluptate dolor explicabo unde et. Voluptas totam nesciunt et dignissimos.

Iusto ex eum nihil dolore neque reprehenderit quia. Non necessitatibus et voluptatum omnis est qui quae. Porro neque quibusdam animi ea.

Nam natus eos quo accusantium ab nisi. Fugit in eaque at odio dolor voluptatem. Dolorum consectetur doloribus corporis inventore. Adipisci delectus eveniet molestiae adipisci aut nihil. Hic ut voluptate ab magni est aliquid dolorum deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”