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I enjoyed the insight because it gave me an invaluable opportunity to understand J.P. Morgan operations division through a very hands-on approach. The insight programme gave me an opportunity to shadow real employees of J.P. Morgan, and that allowed me to not only learn more about this field, but also understand the thrills and challenges of working here.

I enjoyed this 'spring into operations' insight programme because we as spring interns had numerous opportunities to interact with the senior management at J.P. Morgan. We had numerous presentations by senior managers, managing directors etc. At the same time, we also had many networking opportunities with these senior managers to not only know more about their work, but also about their career paths and aspirations. I feel valued as an intern because I get so many opportunities to interact with the senior management.

The HR personnel attached to our group during this 'spring into operations' spring week were really helpful. They made sure that our every need was taken care of during the course of this programme. We were also given skills presentations regarding CVs, Assessment Centres, interviews, and even presentations. I really appreciate these skill workshops because they will guide us as we prepare ourselves to apply for the internship at J.P. Morgan next year.

I believe that the skills I picked up and the information I received during this 'spring into operations' programme at J.P. Morgan will really help me in my career. Firstly, this spring week gave me a first-hand experience of working in an investment bank, and I think this will definitely help me as I try to think about what I really want to do with my career in the future. Also, the skills workshops I attended (interview skills, Assessment Centres, CVs, presentation etc) will guide me as I prepare for applications in the future.

The insight programme was well structured in the sense that the events for each day had a clear focus. The highlight for day one was the job shadowing event, and the focus for day two was on informing us more about operations here at J.P. Morgan, whereas the focus for day three was to educate us on Assessment Centres and application preparation. Because of this well structured framework, I felt that I was able to gain much from this entire programme.

The atmosphere was exceedingly encouraging and comforting during this programme. The university Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵs who participated in this programme (my peers) were very enthusiastic about every event, and whenever a speaker paused, many of us were spontaneous in asking questions. It was very obvious that everyone wanted to be actively involved in the activities throughout the three days. Secondly, the presenters themselves did not assume an air of arrogance; they treated us like colleagues and were very friendly towards us. I enjoy the atmosphere during this programme, and I believe that this is reflective of the general working atmosphere here at J.P. Morgan as well.

Throughout the course of this programme, J.P. Morgan did invest in us a substantial amount of resources. As mentioned earlier, we were given skills training sessions on the last day to help us to prepare for future assessments and applications. On the last day, we sat for workshops on interview skills, assessment centres, CVs, and presentations. We mainly received training for soft skills because the short time-span of the spring week did not permit us to learn much about the technical side of operations.

This insight programme did give me a good understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role with J.P. Morgan in the future. As mentioned, we as spring interns were given many opportunities to network with young analysts who just graduated a few years ago. They were able to share with us their experiences when they just started working at J.P. Morgan, specifically the challenges, expectations, and the thrills of the job. So I believe that I have had a good grasp of what working here entails.

This insight programme did allow me to understand more about the company culture here at J.P. Morgan. Through networking with both young analysts and the senior management, I got a sense that people working here are ambitious, but also extremely friendly, approachable, and humble. The American culture of investment banking is apparent here: people are very task-driven and focused, but this is tampered by their friendliness, humor, and willingness to share. I appreciate the fact that the company culture is both professional and comfortable at the same time.

As mentioned earlier, there were numerous opportunities for us spring interns to network with employees here at J.P. Morgan during the course of this programme. We had many opportunities to interact with many of the senior managers here at J.P. Morgan, where we got to know not only their line of work, but also their personal stories and ambitions. We also had a graduate panel, where we interacted with young graduates of J.P. Morgan who just finished university. It was great to be able to interact with both classes of employees.

Yes I definitely managed to find out about the lives of J.P. Morgan employees outside of their professional work. J.P. Morgan as a company values employee welfare, and this explains why there are various facilities such as a gym and a physio centre within the J.P. Morgan building. Many employees I have spoken to are involved in many J.P. Morgan societies, such as its football clubs, or the sky-diving team, and many J.P. Morgan employees are also involved in volunteering and charity work organized by the company. J.P. Morgan employees do have a life outside of work.

I would definitely recommend this insight programme to a friend due to the reasons I have outlined above. As mentioned previously, this spring week offered me an invaluable, first-hand experience of working in an investment bank, and this experience is crucial to helping me decide on my future career. At the same time, I had exclusive opportunities to network with both the senior management and recent graduates, and I believe that this network will help me as I start my career in the future. This spring week is a beneficial experience for anyone who is keen on trying out the finance sector as a career option.