Summer 2026 Internships - Best Time to Apply?

Question

Hi There!

Canadian undergraduate student here studying on the west coast at the University of British Columbia. I'm looking forward to MBB recruiting for Summer 2026 internships, and noticed there are 2 general cycles for MBB firms - one deadline in June, and one deadline in September.

1) Is there a best time to apply? Ideally, I'd like to take the summer to do some casing and networking - but I want to avoid shooting myself in the foot if the ideal time to apply is this earlier deadline!

2) Is there a general strategy that I should follow pertaining to my background? For example, should I only focus on the Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary offices - or can I pursue NYC and other US locations? As a student at UBC on the west coast, is there a particular office I should be targeting? Any other considerations that I should consider to put my best foot forward?

3) I was lucky enough to get a First Round Interview invite in November at BCG, but was unfortunately not invited back for a final round. I believe I've grown quite a bit since then (especially in my casing abilities) - can I reapply again? Is there anything I should do to account for this?

Thank you so much for reading my question!

Answer 1

Hi,

1) I would recommend to apply as soon as possible if you feel ready for the interview. They are generaly filling the spots and might be even a bit more strict at the end if there are very limited spots left.

2) You can select the offices based on your personal life and industry preference; while the latter seems less important for an intership. Also be aware that some offices are (like NY) are more popular and so competitive than others.

3) There is typically a 12 months ban, meaning it's too early to re-apply. If you are unsure, double check with the recruiter.

Good luck with you preparation.

Mattijs

Answer 2

Hey - its great you are thinking about next summer already - always good to be ahead of the curve when it comes to recruiting.

1. Apply in the first deadline. You want to ensure you are one of the first to be interviewed because that is when there are the most spots open for offers. Later on the spots dwindle and the competition is higher

2. Focus on offices for which UBC is a target school. NYC is probably the most competitive office in the world and chances will always be lower there vs say at Calgary for that reason. Additionally, visa sponsorship is much harder these days in the US

3. Typically a rejection for the summer internship does not affect applications for full time roles so you will be fine. I would try and get a referral here if possible to boost your chances to be invited again

Best,

Udayan

Answer 3

Hi there,

Great questions and great that you're being proactive about the process. Let me take them one by one.

1. Earlier is better than later. Why? Because by the second cohort, many of the offers will have already been handled. Naturally, the process is likely to become stricter, even when they have to choose between really strong candidates. Try and accelerate your prep as much as possible to go with the first wave.

2. Focus on offices with which you can demonstrate some connection - e.g., you're from there, studied there, etc. Don't apply randomly to US locations if you have no connections to them, or you're likely to get screened out.

3. Check with the interviewer. Explain to them that you've progressed significantly since the last round. They often make exceptions. This is the only way to actually validate that you can apply again.

Best,
Cristian