Spring Insight Review

Lots of interesting presentations about all sorts of different areas of the business, both by junior analysts who recently graduated, and more senior directors with lots of experience. Also, there were plenty of enjoyable networking sessions where we had the opportunity to talk to employees whilst enjoying good food and good drink in a more casual scenario.

The bank organised very comfortable accommodation for those who didn't live in London, in a very convenient location for commuting to the office in the morning. As well as this, breakfast and lunch was provided for us daily. All this and the fact that some very senior members of the bank gave up their time to talk to us made us all feel very valued.

HR ran a specific skills session one afternoon to offer guidance about how to prepare for assessment days, including what kind of activities we should expect, eg team exercises, individual presentations, interviews, and general advice and tips on how we should go about these tasks, and what the recruiters will be looking for.

Whilst most of the information I learnt is not specifically relevant to most aspects of my degree, it may help in certain optional finance modules, and should certainly help when applying to internships and jobs in the banking and finance industry in the future. I also picked up valuable communication and networking skills which will help me throughout my career.

The first three days were very well structured, with an introductory first day including presentations from the president of BAML's operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and various employees from different divisions. The second and third days were spent with the specific divisions we applied to. The final day was an assessment day for most of the insights, but some had to wait until October.

Both the insights and all the employees we encountered were very friendly and approachable, with HR in particular being very helpful and sorting out any problems. The atmosphere at the networking events was very casual offering the insights the chance to talk to employees in a more relaxed scenario- the networking dinner in particular had a great atmosphere.

The insight was more an opportunity to get a flavour of what it is like to work inside the bank, and find out about all the different divisions and careers within Bank of America Merrill Lynch, rather than an opportunity to be trained how to do specific jobs. We were told that there would be more training if we secured a place on the summer internship next year.

I managed to gain invaluable insight into the kind of jobs different divisions were tasked with, and how they went about this on a daily basis. It also gave me the opportunity to get a feel for the kind atmosphere within different divisions and how I might fit into the different teams if I were to achieve a full time job at the bank.

The insight really helped me understand the company culture. By having the opportunity to talk to many different employees from many different lines of business, I was able to ask them about how much they enjoyed working at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and get their honest opinions about the company culture.

After completing the insight week, I much better understand how an investment bank works, what it would be like to work within a huge international firm, and what particular line of business I would be most suited to. I am now in a much better position to make a decision about my future career path.

The bank reimbursed rail travel expenses for those in the UK, and flight expenses for those who live or study abroad, and a travelcard for the London transport system was reimbursed. As well as this, comfortable accommodation in a very practical location was provided for all those who needed it as they didn't live in London.

Loads of networking opportunities, including a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner, and drinks.

Really great opportunities to learn about the firm and get to know the employees.

We had a networking event with, and presentations from members and represntatves from all the different employee networks, including the women's leadership council, the armed forces network. Also we had presentations about all the volunteering opportunities for the employees of the bank as part of the corporate social and environmental responsibility scheme.

Brilliant opportunity