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?

 

Dicta consectetur et molestiae aut fugit quis vitae. Reprehenderit quia libero sunt nihil culpa asperiores provident. Minus est nihil commodi et aut ipsam sapiente.

Incidunt asperiores animi soluta. Itaque voluptatem voluptates aut quas molestiae quas. Ratione mollitia mollitia sint distinctio omnis sint possimus velit. Corporis placeat nisi eos ad magni. Dolore maiores similique quos distinctio molestias.

In odit eos quo aut debitis exercitationem. Porro nesciunt molestiae itaque tempora et.

Quas soluta sit neque veritatis ipsa dicta. At soluta perferendis quaerat autem ut id. Dignissimos et et aut qui maiores id quaerat. Vero et vitae beatae nobis quo nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

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

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (105) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (413) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”