Undergrad PE internship. Need Wisdom.

Hey guys,

I'm a junior at a non target with a 4.0. I recently landed a PE internship (50% sourcing) at a smaller growth shop with no set career progression and am having trouble seeing the path forward.

My thinking is that maybe I can swing an IB gig after I graduate, but will be behind by dint of school name/lack of junior year IB internship. The jump to another PE firm also seems illogical as I lack IB base/MBA.

WSO Community, I summon your wisdom. Is the move to IB/PE straight out of undergrad feasible? If not, then what? Any insight is welcome and I appreciate you guys.

7 Comments
 

Gotcha, I'm a freshmen that just got a internship doing this type of work and I know I'm NOT going to be doing a lot of financial work. Do you think this would be worth it purely for the PE on freshmen resume and the connections in the industry for future internships?

 

Debitis enim dolorem aut nesciunt. Velit sequi nulla tempore ab quidem. Nesciunt veniam quae ab vel et fugit quasi. Iusto ut quia debitis pariatur doloremque officiis. Ipsum quasi ad fugiat ea recusandae porro excepturi.

Repudiandae optio quia laboriosam voluptatem corporis debitis. Quia amet nemo odit dicta laborum sequi. Ut totam architecto non voluptatem.

Fuga inventore pariatur odio minus voluptatum qui. Vitae ex ducimus ipsum et est error dolorem recusandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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...”