What to do during gap year?

I'm 18, graduated HS and headed to a target after my gap year (which is this year). I want to get a jump on finance and do some finance-related stuff. I'm dead set on IBD/PE/HF since I need it to get a decent ROI on my college investment. Plus, I'm actually interested in finance.

I'm done having fun; in fact, I have way too much free time and spend most of it surfing the Web or reading novels or learning finance. I'm bored. My friends are back for break so these few weeks have been good but they'll be headed back to college soon. Will boutique PWM even consider me? What are some ideas for how I can spend my time?

 

Simmer down there, cowboy.

To answer your question - it is indeed possible to snag an internship before college, but why would you want to? It makes very little difference if you're just going to go for another internship after your freshman year, as I'm guessing you're likely to do. Why not take this time to relax and do something other than what you're going to be doing for the rest of your life?

Go volunteer. Or travel for a year. Learn to surf some actual waves instead of the Internet.

P.S. - Why take a gap year if you don't really have anything you want to do in the meanwhile? That's not usual, is it?

 
Best Response

Hi there,

I would definately agree with Angus on this one. I think taking some time out to travel is a fantastic opportunity and one many people don't get a chance to do, due to commitments to work or home etc. I would also add from my personal experience that travelling and experiencing other cultures, volunteering or learning something new like a language can drastically aid your application for jobs, universities and schools. My experience travelling around South America just after university really added skills to my CV and employers really love it as well!

Some gap year sites even offer paid experience abroad, so you can combine both the experience of a new culture with the experience of an internship (even a placement in finance may be up for grabs).

In fact check out the gap 360 site (just type in gap 360 into google). They offer paid experience and one thing my friends seem to be keen on at the moment, is working abroad in Australia where you can actually learn to surf in your spare time! Fantastic if you ask me!

Hope this helps Vicky

 

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