Document Type

Article

Domestic/International

Domestic

Location

New York, New York

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This past summer, I interned at TD Securities in the corporate & investment banking division. I came across this internship on LinkedIn last fall. After finding the posting, I reached out to employees by email. I was able to connect with a Middlebury alum, Phillipe Morin, and speak on the phone. Through this, I landed a virtual first-round interview. I then had a superday a week later at the New York office consisting of 5 interviews. Two weeks later, I received a call informing me that I had received the position. The Connecticut College Investment Banking Club was very helpful in preparing me for the interview with mock interviews.

Going into the internship, my goals were to build a network, develop Excel and PowerPoint skills, and understand the purpose of my work. The internship exceeded my expectations, as I worked 14-16 hour days, got hands-on experience modeling and creating pitch decks for potential deals, and had the opportunity to work with senior management and other product groups. As a corporate banking summer analyst, my work was mainly focused on Excel and PowerPoint. I would model bank groups, financial performance, debt repayment, leverage charts, risk-adjusted return on capital, and cap tables. I also created PowerPoints on company profiles and pitch decks for deals. I also got to create public information booklets for managing directors and analyze companies through Moody’s and S&P lenses, take notes on earnings calls, and client calls. I also had two summer internship projects, including a TD Securities group project where I was able to build a network with other interns around the firm and pitch a potential acquisition in the tobacco space. I also presented a corporate banking project to the entire corporate banking team on a potential opportunity for the firm. I pitched a leading global industrial conglomerate, created the company profile, and used comparable companies to model liquidity, capital structure, debt profile, and the potential products TD could offer. The internship was also a half-summer rotation, in which I sat on the industrial team for half the summer and consumer and retail for the other half. This allowed me to gain exposure to two different coverage groups and get an understanding of industries.

The job required critical time management and organizational skills. I aimed always to be the first person in the office and the last one to leave, allowing me to connect with managing directors and other seniors who arrived at the office early. Another part of the job is that you never know how the workflow will be, so I found front-loading work critical for organization. There were also multiple tasks given at once, causing the need for effective time management. Staying late allowed me to take time on my work, develop skills, and use critical thinking to understand the purpose of my work. Organization was also critical, as files and work had to be saved on the drive in the appropriate spot, and also versioning up old files. Networking and coffee chats were also one of the most important parts of the internship. This allowed me to hear about others' experiences and time at the firm and get to know them at a deeper level. Collaboration was another useful tool, as you need to be willing to ask questions and watch others to develop.

My liberal arts education at Connecticut College prepared me well for the experience. Conn allowed me the opportunity to speak with alumni and NESCAC alumni, which inevitably led to this internship opportunity. Aspects of my coursework are also directly related to the internship, as my completion of Accounting I, II, and Intermediate II, experience as an Accounting 243 tutor, and completion of the Accounting Wall Street Prep course prepared me to analyze financial statements and develop other technical skills. Intermediate Accounting II and Corporate Finance prepared me for working with Excel this summer. My intro to financial markets, macroeconomics, and microeconomics coursework will also provide me with a background for understanding interest rates and supply and demand that contributes to lending and evaluation of companies. Also, my entrepreneurial pathway allowed me to relate to business owners, as I can understand client goals. Relationship management is crucially important in corporate banking. The liberal arts education most important skill however was how to think freely. Working with many interns from top business skills I felt that thinking outside the box is something that set me apart from other interns.

If I could go back again, I would still choose this internship. I believe that this internship definitely provided a challenge, and I want that in my early career. I gained technical skills that can prepare me for anywhere I want to go in finance. TD is a top investment bank in the world, presenting the opportunity to work with many different companies, allowing exposure to a diverse range of business models. The firm's culture was great, and people are very focused on helping junior analysts develop. Time management was truly a strength in this internship, as well as building relationships with others at the firm. For example, my time management and quality of work allowed me to finish more work, creating trust in me and allowing me more opportunity and responsibility on the team. A weakness that I had, I would say, would be my technical skills. That is something I will focus on in my last year at Conn, as I will complete Excel training so I can complete the work faster when returning to TD full time. A challenging experience I had was my internship projects. In my group internship project, it was a struggle to get other interns to work on the project. However, this allowed me the opportunity to lead the group and take over more of the project. This was something that got back to my team that I had led the project and was positive toward my return offer decision. The corporate banking project was also a challenge, as I had to network with analysts about the models, research the company, and understand the potential opportunity, all on top of my other workload. Overall, this summer internship taught me time management, organizational skills, and many technical skills that will help build the base of my career.

Download
COinS
 

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.