Beyond polished LinkedIn announcements and tailored resumes, undergraduates across the country are navigating a shift in early-career recruiting. There is increased pressure for students to secure summer internships long before completing upper-level coursework in their majors.
According to a 2025 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, more than 65% of large corporate recruiters reported opening their internship applications earlier than in previous hiring cycles.
To help students navigate a fast-paced hiring culture, the TCU Center for Career & Professional Development hosted the All-Majors Career & Intern Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the University Recreation Center.
The push for earlier commitments is especially visible across industries such as finance, investment banking and consulting. Rather than waiting for traditional junior-year spring recruiting windows, firms regularly open summer internship application portals 12 to 18 months ahead of time, putting sophomores through multistage interviews before they have taken upper-level courses related to their major.
TCU students attend the fall 2023 career fair. (Steven Magallon/TCU360)
“Recruiters and companies from industries particularly in finance and consulting have moved their recruiting processes much earlier over the past several years, recruiting for summer internships one to two years prior to the internship date,” said Mike Caldwell, executive director of the CCPD. “The reason for this is so that they can get ahead of their competition and secure their internship class earlier.”
Navigating these accelerated recruiting windows means treating internship hunting like an extra class, one that requires daily management to keep up.
“Application season is never-ending, so you have to space it out,” said Mattie Dao, a sophomore business and managerial economics major.
Dao secured a position in JPMorgan Chase’s CIB Security Services Leadership Program.
“When I was applying, I would apply to one or two internships a day and keep a tracker organized,” Dao said. Seeing how other people operate helps drive me to be on top of it, but at the end of the day, if you’re not prepared, you’re not going to succeed.”
Despite the pressure to commit early, career advisers emphasize that early recruiting should be viewed as a tool for career exploration and an opportunity to build relationships and experience, rather than a strict commitment.
“We always encourage exploration first,” Caldwell said. “You are never completely locked into a set path. If you talk with recent TCU alumni, they will likely let you know that they made a few pivots and changes from their first jobs. Managing your career and all of the inevitable changes in the process is a lifelong skill.”