Freshman. small VC/boutique M&A internship?

Hi guys,

As title says, I'm a freshman and I don't know how to choose between an internship at a small VC or a M&A one in a boutique ib. These are both not structured programs so I don't know how much I can learn/what I can be working on exactly.

I'm also not fixed on my career path yet so my priority would be one that provides me with versatility i.e. leave doors open to both IB and VC.

Which should I take?

Thanks for helping!

Cheers
J

9 Comments
 

looks very good. you should be in real good shape if you're already landing these in your freshman year. there are kids out there who've graduated that cant even land boutiques.

i personally would go for M&A. it looks really solid on your resume and if you decide you want to go back to VC in your sophomore year I think having this experience would not be a problem. If you decide to do IB, then you are in really good shape to land another boutique or possibly even a MM internship.

hope that helps

 

if you want optionality, you should take M&A. If you know you want to do vc type shit (tech start-ups, early stage operational experience, etc.), take the VC.

However, you should take name brand into consideration. If the VC fund is relatively famous vs it's some like sub $10MM M&A shop doing mom and pop shop deals, go with the prestige.

 
James Lee

Hey monkeybanker and kidflash,

Thanks a lot. Appreciate that.

As I was thinking about it, I started getting greedy. Do you think it is worth it to have shorter internships (maybe 1-1.5months) and do both internships?

Would get more exposure this way. But would it look bad on my CV?

If you can get 6 weeks for each internship you could get greedy ahaha

 

Those are great options for anyone, and kudos on doing so well your first year! Personally, I would go with VC (it sounds more interesting, IMO), but M&A would be a better choice if you really want to do IB. Especially as a freshman, networking with your co-workers there and having even a little bit of experience in the field can do wonders in the long run.

Keep us posted on your decision!

 

Hi guys,

Am likely taking the VC.

Rationale: When else would I have time to try out VC if I go M&A all the way? Each year's summer is going to be more and more valuable, and if I did M&A now then sophomore VC it could be weird on my resume. But most importantly, if I can land a boutique now, I think I still stand a chance of landing a boutique next year if I keep improving myself and read up more.

Thanks to all for your help again. (:

Cheers, J

 

Rerum molestiae quos sint qui illo. Ratione eum quaerat quis ducimus. Ut aliquam consequatur quia a quaerat temporibus. Neque pariatur quis in. Hic exercitationem sed eaque modi architecto id. Repudiandae impedit consectetur sed laboriosam voluptatem.

Ducimus ut neque dolor at. Nam aperiam nisi veniam ut magnam libero animi. Ipsum est qui aliquid velit. Harum ullam quia ea et.

Dignissimos commodi delectus velit dicta itaque ipsum. Non est consequuntur quidem deserunt non. Quo ullam amet vero velit. Consectetur et aut beatae accusantium. Dicta vel quibusdam vitae. Nobis repudiandae mollitia tempore reprehenderit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

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

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”