Take BB Middle Office or Keep Looking for Boutique? (Sophomore Internship)

Hey guys,

I am currently a sophomore at Stern interested in pursuing a career in IB looking for something to do this spring/summer before junior recruiting starts. I recently got an offer for a middle office position for a top BB (one of GS/JP/MS) for the rest of this semester and all of the summer. I have seen many threads before about a BB BO/MO internship vs. IB at a small boutique, and I definitely think that working at a boutique IB has many advantages before heading into recruiting, but there are a few differences about the position I'm currently in that leave me unsure of what to do.

1) I don't have an internship at a boutique lined up right now. I have been cold emailing any boutiques I can find from all of those lists compiled over the years, and have not had any success. I'm not really choosing between internships, I'm choosing between taking a non-IB position now vs. continuing the search for experience at a boutique.

2) A lot of sophomores at Stern that are going into banking have IB related experience at boutiques. This is important to me because I'm not sure if doing a non-IB internship will put me at a disadvantage because everyone else around me is doing an IB internship, or if it could be an advantage because the name of the firm is recognizable and I'm not just another kid working at a boutique.

Appreciate all the help!

 
LAThrowaway:

I think that if I keep reaching out to boutiques I would eventually land an internship with one of them. A lot of my peers (with similar grades and work experiences) have had success reaching out, so I'm just worried that they would be many steps ahead of me if I were to take this MO role.

Maybe, but a bird in hand...

Very few kids have IB experience prior to junior year. You won't be behind. Also, use this opportunity to network with S&T if that is of interest to you.

 

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