HopefullyHaas

I'm a sophomore at UC Berkeley looking to get an internship in finance. I'm an Economics major, and I've taken Financial Accounting and am teaching myself finance right now out of the textbook. However, my GPA is only around 3.0-3.1 (and I have a D on my transcript which I have since retaken but the D will be on the transcript forever).

My only previous related experience is that I am a research assistant and do data entry and analysis using excel and SPSS.

I know that my academic record isnt that great. I didnt hear back from SEO and I'm applying to Inroads.

However, could I still get a summer internship in finance? I was thinking of just calling up firms and seeing if they needed help, and offering my services. I just want to get my foot in the door, and I don't care if I get paid or not. What's the best way to go about this? If its just cold calling, is there a directory?

Thanks

CaliGuy07

Try your career services or organizations on campus. i am sure they can help you find something.

it's hard to cold call because most of the time, major firms are linked with your school's career center. if you have networks on the inside or it's a smaller company, then you might be able to get a job.

also, their are California labor laws that prevent you from working for free so even if you offer yourself for free some companies might hesitate because a lawsuit can be filed. i ran into this problem last summer. apparently, in the past kids have worked for free and then filed a claim for lost wages.

tahncol86

I agree, career services or organizations on campus should be the first place to get a hold of . However, there are some internships that your organizations probably don't have any connections... In that case calling or e-mailing can't hurt.

For example, I am doing an intern in a foreign country next year because its related to my research next semester (hopefully). I constantly e-mailed them and mailed them recommendation letters. The results were good and I'm going to pack my bags in New Years!