<p>How hard is it to learn the basic operations of M&A for a high school student? I'm a senior in high school and am pretty well versed in accounting and finance for a high school student.</p>
<p>The only way to really learn is with an internship...and no high school student is going to get one</p>
<p>Actually I might get one over the summer, so I want to know what to expect</p>
<p>Gotta qualify what astonmartinDBS said... no high school student without connections will get one. </p>
<p>M&A requires putting together a lot of financial knowledge: valuations, equity and debt markets, corporate strategy, and just a general familiarity with how markets and investors act. It really depends on where you are right now. Can you comfortably do DCFs? Trading and Transaction Comps? Do you know a lot about equity and debt markets, tradeoffs and access? How about why companies pursue M&A in the first place, and how they decide what to target? And how markets, investors, and targets respond to takeover attempts?</p>
<p>Knowing all these concepts is a minimum requirement for then jumping into the "basic operations" of M&A. See if you can get your hands on an M&A business case (HBS, etc.) or a well-documented deal (preferably not a distressed one like BofA-Merrill or JPM-BSC). </p>
<p>Though I'd have to say, there are probably better things to spend your high school years on...</p>
<p>Thanks for replying. I think there's always a time to learn, and I'll be more prepared for a career through an internship like this. It's a great opportunity because not many people are getting jobs without connections right now anyways</p>