Student Perspectives: From Classrooms to Wall Street, My Internship Journey in NYC

Henal Gandhi (MS Finance ’26) 

Finance carries such a broad spectrum, and when most people hear the word, they immediately picture banks, investment firms, or Wall Street. Honestly, not too long ago, that was me too. But moving to New York changed everything. Stepping into the world's financial capital, I started discovering just how vast this industry really is. Beyond the headlines and the trading floors, there's an entire ecosystem of private credit, venture capital, fintech, asset management, and structured finance, each with its own world, its own language, and its own way of moving capital. 

When I arrived in the city for my master's, I quickly understood one thing: networking wasn't optional. And my approach has always been there's no one right way, so do it all. LinkedIn, Handshake, cold emails, cold messages, talking to classmates, reaching out to seniors. I've tried everything, and honestly, each method has given me something. Nothing was wasted. 

My first internship came from a cold email I had sent almost 6 months before anything came of it. A friend told me about the firm, and we even tried walking into their office in person, which went nowhere. But I sent that email anyway and moved on with my life. Then, exactly a couple of months later, they reached out about a late summer opening. That one email turned into an equity research internship, something I had never done before. And what a ride it was. Live trade discussions, quarterly earnings calls, and absorbing the market every single day gave me a kind of confidence I hadn't felt before. That only comes from being in the room. 

My next internship came on a random Sunday afternoon. I stumbled across a job posting and immediately reached out to almost everyone on the company's finance team asking for a referral only to find out that a college classmate of mine was already interning there. She referred me, and just like that, the second internship was secured. 

That one was a spring internship, so when it ended, conversion wasn't on the table. And honestly? That rejection lit a fire in me. I went back to LinkedIn, networked relentlessly, and within two weeks had two interviews lined up. I took one and that's how I'm here today. 

Across all these experiences, the most important thing I've learned is this: every opportunity is a gateway to a bigger one. At my current internship, no task felt too small to take seriously. I showed up, I stayed curious, and I watched that mindset pay off in myself and in the people around me. Being punctual, caring about your work, going deep on every project that's not just professionalism. That's how doors start opening. 

One of the things I'm most proud of here is the quality of analysis I've been able to bring to the table. Whether it was diving deep into a project, making observations others might have glossed over, or helping the team think through next steps I genuinely felt like my work had an impact. Being trusted with that responsibility, at this stage of my career, means everything. Going forward, I'm eager to keep building especially in credit analysis and high value deal evaluation. Every deal teaches me something new, and I think that hunger to keep learning is what will carry me furthest. 

And to every student out there grinding through applications, wondering when their break will come here's the one thing I'd tell you: there is no single formula. My journey is proof of that. A Handshake post, a year-old cold email, a Sunday afternoon referral, and relentless LinkedIn outreach all of it worked, just at different times and in different ways. 

So don't wait for the perfect strategy. Mix it all up. Apply widely, network genuinely, show up consistently, and trust the process. You never know which door is about to open. 

If this resonated with you or you'd like to connect, feel free to reach out, I'm always happy to help a fellow student navigate their journey. You can find me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/cahenalgandhi. Don't hesitate; just reach out!