Yes, Citadel Securities made some advance internship offers to Harvard students

Achieving an internship at Citadel Securities is not easy. Last year, the firm accepted just 0.4% of the tens of thousands of students who applied. This year, the firm's intern acceptance rate is likely to be lower, again.

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As Citadel Securities sifts through its mountain of intern applicants, some students are being fast-tracked. Last month, we understand that the firm met directly with students at Harvard University, and extended internship offers to them as a result. 

Citadel Securities declined to comment for this article. The firm's Harvard fast track has been the subject of various complaints on X. There have been suggestions that students received expedited offers following meetings with Citadel Securities' CEO Peng Zhao and other Citadel Securities executives. 

Speaking at the Semafor Conference earlier this month, Citadel Securities' chief people officer Alex DiLeonardo said the firm has a "culture of meritocracy" and "real objectivity" around managing talent. As technical skills become more commoditized, candidates are being assessed for broader characteristics like creativity, leadership potential, commerciality "raw problem solving ability," DiLeonardo added. 

Citadel Securities' internships usually start in June and last for around 11 weeks. The firm typically uses phone screening followed my multiple in-person and technical interviews. Interns earn $24k a month and usually spend part of the internship staying at a deluxe hotel. 

Harvard students who didn't receive offers during the meeting with Zhao and other executives are still in Citadel Securities' standard recruitment process and may still receive offers. 

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