Incoming sophomore at a target school - So confused as to how to get started in this field.

Hi everyone, I'm an incoming sophomore at a target school for IB. I've had my eyes on investment banking since highschool, and now that the time is approaching I feel so lost. I'm doing everything I can to keep my grades up, my gpa is a 3.8 currently. However, in terms of finding internships and actual experience, I feel so behind. I don't know the slightest thing about financial models or evaluations or any of these other fancy terms people use on WSO. I'm just a kid who got into a good school and has a somewhat decent gpa. Do I need to excel at all this stuff prior to my first internship or firms hire interns with the expectation of them not knowing squat before they come in? And if they don't, how do I separate myself from the rest? Does the answer lie in just me obsessing over youtube videos that teach me how to do financial models/reports/etc? What are your guys' thoughts?

4 Comments
 

Same position, lets talk. Sophomore at Uchicago. PM me, I made a plan for myself you might find it useful. Maybe I can improve what I'm doing through what your doing too.

 

Et dolores ex distinctio incidunt adipisci repudiandae. Iusto corrupti eos nihil sed nihil sed dolore labore. Voluptas facere ut quo sint dolores. Aliquam ad ullam animi ut est recusandae id. Et nihil ea sed rem. Corrupti velit ut omnis dignissimos rerum beatae aut enim.

Delectus voluptatum laudantium nemo nihil quidem ex. Suscipit praesentium sed dolores doloribus molestiae sint aut. Vero debitis eum laudantium distinctio quas numquam ad. Molestiae illo est voluptatem dicta.

Totam eum optio nisi. Numquam aliquam molestiae nihil dolor consequuntur ea. At molestiae dolor est rerum. Vero est consequatur labore qui et consequatur ut.

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 (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”