Is there anything I could do NOW to ACTUALLY be better at the job?

Hey guys,

I am a sophomore finance major, doing IB this summer and REPE/Acquisitions in my junior summer, so basically I have already wrapped up recruiting.

Besides maintaining my GPA, taking useful classes if I can, and still being involved in finance clubs, do you think there is anything I could spend this extra time during junior/senior year that will actually make me much better at the job for the summer?

Would you just have fun, relax, and go to the gym, would you try to get a job to get some money/experience, would you do a specific course or licensing exam? What would you do?

I obviously want to hit the gym and socialize and go out etc and have fun these last 2 years of college but also wouldn't mind spending time doing something that will truly make me better at the job or "differentiate" myself.

Basically, what would you do in your junior/senior year with the extra time you have for not having to focus on recruiting?

Comments (10)

2mo 
bankhk, what's your opinion? Comment below:

On the same boat and I'm just building and stabilizing my network and doing onboarding/excel exercises. Besides that I'm just going to as many trips and parties as possible without tanking my GPA 

2mo 
crerepe21, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Just make sure you know what's going on in the market. The fundamentals of finance never change but knowing what the macro environment is doing will help you make better assumptions when modeling and you won't need to rely so heavily on more senior coworkers. As an intern no one is expecting you to know everything and do everything perfectly so I wouldn't stress too much about being the best possible intern. Just make sure you're up to par on how to make the models and so that you're not spending a week on a model that a FT analyst could do in a couple hours and you'll be fine. If these jobs have a high likelihood of becoming FT positions after graduating then just enjoy college. You only get to be young once and in college you'll have the least amount of responsibilities of your adult life so enjoy it. 

  • Analyst 1 in RE - Comm
2mo 

Are there things that you could do to be better at a job 2 years from now? Probably. Will it matter? No. Just focus on being social and enjoying college. 

2mo 
flyfishchad, what's your opinion? Comment below:

I would get some hands on experience on construction sites (as an intern, not actual worker, look for local mid-sized developers and see if you can get a project management role dealing with subcontractors) if you are dead set going the RE route. 

You talk about wanting to hit the gym. Definitely do that too.

  • Associate 1 in RE - Comm
2mo 

Don't do this. You are a star hire based on your post. You're going to be earning $100k+ right out of college.

Plan trips with friends!!! This was my biggest regret in college. Do not intern with a local developer or whatever this guy above me said. You'll have the rest of your life to do "work stuff".

  • 1
2mo 
windoflife, what's your opinion? Comment below:
[Comment removed by mod team]
2mo 
elguero, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Hit the gym obviously and just do some excel courses online like ACRE or REFAI. It would just help with modeling and understanding real estate more. I saw above something about getting hands on experience with construction and I think that's a great idea. I spent time between internships at the end of my sophomore and junior year summers flipping homes. It really helped me out just seeing on a small scale what the business is all about and the labor that goes into fixing real estate. It was pretty fun too. Sounds like either way you're in a good spot, congrats!

2mo 
aspiringcoolperson, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Hit the gym and have a good routine before you start working bc it's gonna be really hard to do that once you do start working. Just enjoy the college time you have left, honestly. If you want to network, that's fine, but no need to go too hard. And make sure your grades don't slip. 
 

At your level, you differentiate yourself by having a good attitude and personality. And you'll get actually good at your job by doing the job.

  • Intern in IB-M&A
2mo 

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