Incoming freshmen at bocconi - SA 2025 recruiting

Hello everyone,

I’m a senior in high school, going to be starting my freshmen years at bocconi after the summer. Since I was planning to go to the US, I never read much about recruiting in Europe. Thus, I have some questions to those who already went through that process.

1.) I know that many firms don’t take freshmen for summer programs, so I’d appreciate recommendations/info as to which banks are likely to accept a freshman

2.) Timeline: when do ib applications typically start? I heard some start in July/august which is before I even start my freshmen year. Does it mean that I don’t have a shot or if I’m good with technical questions etc I can try?

3.) Networking: how important is networking in terms of getting shortlisted in the initial stage? I heard it’s very random in London for instance, but I’m also going to be looking at cities like Milan or Warsaw.

For context: I already have a full summer internship in a VC fund, will have a spring week type program in the PE team of a top law firm in Netherlands this summer, and feel confident in technical questions

 

Agree. Typical Bocconi undergrad.

Think everyone just needs to relax and live life a bit. All these so called ‘tiktok career pages’ make it seem like Finance is the be all end all of your career. Would’ve preferred if they didn’t exist.

Still recall one of my university societies saying ‘spring weeks are the single most important thing in your career journey’.

What a joke.

 

My bad mate, let me jump in my dad’s Porsche and “enjoy Milan” to then get a full time offer in some shithole like Frankfurt or Paris in 3 years time.

Not sure what made you think that wanting to secure good work experience early on = treating finance as some pinnacle of one’s career. I really just want good exit to PE/HF or startups in the US and to make that move realistic you need to get these BB jobs in London first.

 

Just how it is nowadays. At least he isn't going to university for "the experience" and studying Classics.

 

You should focus on getting a spring week—> summer. Networking is not as relevant as the US. Maybe you can try to do something over this summer to increase the chances of getting a spring week

 

I’m from the UK so it may differ slightly but for us it started 1 month after the start date and some even opened before university began. Look for spring week trackers which you can check daily for any openings

 

The timeline for launching applications can vary by company, so it's important to keep an eye on announcements and be prepared to begin the process early. If applications start before you start your first course, it is worth considering preparing for this in advance and using your skills and knowledge. Networking can be useful for finding out about opportunities and making contacts in the industry, but is not a requirement for being shortlisted.

 

Yeah but a masters is a waste of money and time, no? You pay $100k for a degree that doesn’t give you the same ease of entry into managerial positions as the mba and you waste one year. + recruitment for ib analyst roles in USA usually takes place 2 years before end of college, so you could struggle to secure a full time offer if you just have 1 year there.

Idk that’s what I figured so far but I might be wrong

 

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