How a Liberal Arts Student Landed an Investment Banking Internship

Episode 42 | February 16, 2026

Breaking into investment banking from a liberal arts background can feel daunting. In Episode 42 of the Coffee Chat podcast, host Ben sits down with Braedan, a psychology major and football player at Amherst College, to unpack exactly how he landed a coveted junior-year investment banking internship at Aeris Partners.

Braedan’s story starts far from finance classrooms. “I study psychology and I play on the football team,” he explains, noting that Amherst does not offer finance as a major. Still, his interest in markets began early through investing in high school and grew once he arrived on campus. Like many liberal arts students, he knew he wanted a career in business or finance but lacked clarity on the path forward.

That clarity began to form during his freshman year through mentorship and early exposure. Braedan credits a nine-week introductory finance workshop for helping him understand the breadth of roles in financial services. “Through that experience, I was introduced to all the different jobs in the finance industry,” he says. Even then, he kept an open mind, using networking conversations to explore wealth management, sales and trading, hedge funds, and investment banking.

The turning point came through networking with alumni and former teammates. One conversation with a former high school teammate working at Aeris Partners stood out. The analyst described investment banking as a competitive, team-oriented environment that offered “the best opportunity to learn the most, the fastest, right out of college.” For Braedan, that resonated deeply, especially as a former athlete looking to replace the structure and intensity of sports.

Networking quickly became a core part of his strategy. Early calls were stressful and heavily scripted. “I think I did like an hour of prep for my first call,” he admits. Over time, repetition built confidence. By his final networking calls, the process felt natural. “It’s night and day,” Braedan says. “It just comes from repetition. You learn through failure.”

Technical preparation followed a similar arc. Braedan began exploring finance concepts during the summer after freshman year, eventually earning his FMC® Program certification. The process was not easy. “I took the exam four times,” he says candidly. Each attempt sharpened his skills, reinforcing the value of hands-on practice and persistence.

That effort paid off during interviews. During his superday, Braedan noticed interviewers lingered on his resume. One analyst had completed the same program and immediately recognized the commitment behind it. Coming from a liberal arts background, Braedan believes this mattered. “They were very impressed that I took it upon myself to build those technical skills,” he explains, especially given the lack of formal finance coursework.

Ultimately, Braedan’s story underscores a powerful message for liberal arts students targeting investment banking. Success is less about your major and more about preparation, consistency, and initiative. As he puts it, progress comes from “stacking days and getting one percent better every day.” For students willing to put in that work, the path into high finance is very real.

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