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The Spring Internship at Goldman Sachs has been an amazing experience. I am confident that I have learned a lot and I have met extremely talented people, both already employees at the firm and among my fellow interns of the 2017 Class of Spring Interns. The intensity and fast pace made the program even more enjoyable and Investment Banking – like.

Due to compliance reasons, the Spring Internship in the Investment Banking Division does not involve work shadowing. However, the different case studies allowed us to get some hands-on experience that we then had to present to experienced GS professionals. Moreover, throughout the whole program we had the chance to meet our buddies who seemed truly interested in our development.

The program is very well structured and guidance and support are guaranteed throughout all the different activities. The accounting and valuation training has been one of the highlights and extremely useful for the first case study. The second case study, however, proved to be more challenging as we were left with less guidance. Lastly, the importance of networking (i.e. meeting GS people outside of the program, cold-calling etc.) should’ve been stressed from the very beginning, as many people are not used to networking (first ‘professional’ experience, cultural background, character).

As mentioned before, the accounting and valuation crash course is extremely useful, especially for a Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ interested in exploring a career in the financial industry. I am confident it will help me in my finance-related classes next year. On the other hand, the networking and teamwork skills developed will be helpful no matter what career or study path I will choose.

The structure of the program deserves 10/10. Every single activity during the two weeks is carefully planned and organized, from trainings, to presentations, to debates or networking sessions. The two weeks are intense and fast-paced, and this definitely helps a Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ get an understanding of what it’s like to work in IBD.

The participants are really well chosen (2017 was the first year using HireVue for their digital interviews). As a result, the atmosphere is quite competitive but in a good way. I loved meeting people from extremely diverse backgrounds, both culturally and academically speaking. Plus, all the GS employees we met, from IBD and all the other divisions together with HCM, have contributed in creating an amazing environment.

To a great extent. I felt valued, while at the same time challenged to see what my strengths and areas of improvement are. HCM and the firm as a whole spend a lot of time, effort and money selecting participants for the Spring Internship, and during the program itself there is a lot of emphasis on personal development, including the possibility to have a one-to-one feedback session mid-program.

Especially in the Investment Banking Division, I believe that it is difficult to understand what it’s like to have a full time role in such a fast-paced environment. The upside of the Spring Internship, however, is that it offers the possibility to get an offer for the Summer Internship program the following year.

Having exposure to all levels of seniority within the firm, from first year Analysts (who recently completed their Spring internships) to Associates, VPs, MDs, Partners and even the CEO Richard Gnodde indeed provided us with a good insight to GS’ culture, hearing from different point of views what their experience at the firm has been so far.

As an economics and finance Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ, I was interested in the world of Finance and Investment Banking even before starting the program. The two weeks, however, have strengthened my resolve to explore a career in these fields, and as mentioned before the tools, skills and connections we have been developed will prove useful no matter what career path we will follow.

GS provides with accommodation (hotel within walking distance of the office) and international travel for Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵs living outside the M25.

A lot. Both within and outside the program.

We had the chance to sign up to different affinity networks within the bank.

Yes. We had a presentation on different CSR initiatives, and were even invited to sign up for gym sessions.

Absolutely.