First PE internship

Read WSO. All of it, in its entirety. Or be ready to be LAUGHED OUT OF THE ROOM ON THE FIRST DAY.

Kidding. By this point, you've already combed the internet for articles on "what PE is like." You've exhausted the body of knowledge that exists outside of actually working at the place you'll be working, and the next step is to actually show up.

Having been an intern many times, and now having had interns, the two most valuable attributes of interns are (1) attitude and (2) an honest assessment of what they know and what they don't.

I don't ask interns anymore if they know what I'm talking about, because no matter what, they will say "yes." An intern that wants to impress people by how much they already bring to the table is doomed, because there is almost no possibility that they know everything they need to, and they're setting themselves up for a classic over-sell/under-deliver situation.

My favorite intern ever was a young lady who did not have that much direct experience, but her response to almost everything I said was along the lines of "Nope, I don't know how to do that, but I want to learn. Where can I start?" She was a relief to work with compared to the guys constantly trying to impress with their knowledge base, and by the end of the summer she was pretty useful, and she got a lot personally out of the experience.