Freshman Internship or Study Abroad?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman in the Duke Class of 2016 and have just completed my first semester at college. I am lining up my prospects for the summer and as of now, am trying to decide between a finance related internship or a study abroad program. I am a prospective economics and finance major, and hope to go into investment banking in the future. Even though freshman year might be a bit too early, I have been looking for any finance related internships and have found a couple of decent ones to apply to. Although the chances of getting some of them are slim, like the UBS or JP Morgan one, there are others that look more promising. However, I have also been considering studying abroad for the summer, and stumbled onto Duke's new London based summer finance program. As the program is Duke accredited, it will earn me Duke credits, while teaching me about global financial markets in one of Europe's biggest transaction hotspots. The course really seems to be tailored towards my interests and preferences. </p>

<p>So, long story short, I can't decide which would be better. I have heard that you should always start early if you want to break into investment banking and the like. On the other hand, I have also heard many say that the freshman summer should be spent doing something more fun and adventurous. The London program offers all that, while allowing me the opportunity to learn what I love. What do you guys reckon would be the wiser thing to do here?</p>

2

<p>If you want the best employment prospects upon graduation in i-banking/finance, then an internship after freshman year is hard to pass up. However, it’s usually extremely difficult to get such an internship, so most students line up other things to still be productive. If you can get an internship this early, I’d take advantage of it. You can always study abroad later as well (most Duke students go fall of junior year). Studying in London would still be a great use of time, though, so I wouldn’t hesitate to do that either (just suggesting that an internship is more impressive on the resume and gives you real-world experience).</p>