Within the field of finance, you can choose to work as part of the “corporate finance staff” of an organization or a company that provides “financial services” to individuals, groups, institutions, or organizations. Some functions or industry sectors most commonly associated with finance include Commercial Banking, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning, Insurance, Investment Banking, Investment Management, and Quantitative Trading.

Finding Internships

The Wall Street investment banks have large junior internship programs and hire for full-time largely from their summer internship class. These internships are competitive, as both students and employers hope that the junior internship results in a full-time job. They look for high achievement and a demonstrated interest in finance and financial markets, which can be established through coursework, involvement in student organizations, participation in employer-led networking and educational events, as well as previous internship or externship experience in the broadly defined realm of financial services. Other types of financial institutions, asset management firms, hedge funds, trading firms, private equity, and venture capital firms may also have summer internships.

Finding Jobs

Many firms have increasingly focused on converting their summer interns into full-time hires. However, there are still positions available beyond the class of summer interns. It is particularly important that you make every effort to meet and get to know (and be known by) as many people in the field as you can.

Graduate and Professional Programs

Graduate school is not required to work in finance. However, financial services firms often hire from MBA programs, as well as master’s of finance and master’s of accounting programs.

Harvard and Summer Internships Part 2: A PAF’s Guide from MCS PAF Alex Draghia ’28

In my first blog that can be found here, I reviewed where to look for summer internships here at Harvard. Now I want to talk about how to strategize, actively search for internships and hit the apply button.

So what’s …

By Zach Vigliani
Zach Vigliani Assistant Director, Harvard College Exploring & Self-Assessment
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Harvard and Summer Internships: A PAF’s Guide from MCS PAF Alex Draghia ’28

Dear Harvard College student looking for a summer internship,

When I arrived at Harvard, I was unable to keep all the opportunities that I could apply for on my radar, especially when it came to summer internships. There are so …

By Zach Vigliani
Zach Vigliani Assistant Director, Harvard College Exploring & Self-Assessment
Read more

My Favorite Books About Finance

By Matthew Andrews ’25 (MCS PAF)

Whether you’re an aspiring investor, or simply someone curious about the inner workings of markets, the right book can provide invaluable insights and inspiration. From the cutthroat trading floors of Wall Street to the …

By Guest or External Blog
Guest or External Blog
Read more

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