Spring Intern Review

day 1: firm-wide orientation (all divisions) day 2: firm-wide orientation day 2, compliance sessions, operations, IPO process highlighting the overlap between different divisions day 3: financial training, speaker sessions, etc. day 4: financial training, speaker sessions, introduction to an M&A case study, assignment into teams for a M&A team project etc. Week 2: day 5: last day of financial training, free time to work on case study and network freely day 6: free time to work on case study and network, presentation round for case study, feedback session, introduction to an IPO case study day 7: working on IPO case study, free time to network, senior speaker series day 8: conversion interviews, free time, senior speaker series, escape room event day 9: speed-networking session, free time, IPO presentations, HR farewell

Learned many new skills such as networking. There is a lot of time given to you to manage yourself after the orientations on days one and two. Since you have access to a goldman sachs email address and its employee directory, you can contact anyone at goldman sachs to network with. I learned financial skills such as accounting fundamentals and valuation fundamentals through the financial training received in the first week. I was then able to apply this to a case study to value businesses. I also developed existing skills of presentation and collaboration through case studies and netwokring.

It was very welcoming. When I first started, I was overwhelmed by the number of divisions and teams available but I was able to ask my buddy about which teams to meet and speak with. I used this to contact different people at various levels and spoke to them about their roles, their experience and their advice. I learned a lot about the firm through this. I was also able to understand the welcoming and inclusive nature of the firm by the response of people across the firm to willingly speak with you when you reached out to them despite their busy schedules.

The culture was unlike what I had heard from the outside. Immediately, I was welcomed openly by people around the firm. The people working at the firm are very hard working, always striving for excellence in their work. They are ambitious and open to new challenges. There is a culture of apprenticeship across the firm, where people focus on their personal development as well as the development of their colleagues. Overall, it was an inspiring environment to work in. I was very motivated by the people around me.

I really enjoyed the programme. It was an intense yet enjoyable two weeks learning by listening and by doing. I learned about what investment banking is really like. My favourite part was working on the case studies, where I worked in a team to advice a client from a past Goldman Sachs deal. I really enjoyed getting involved and learning a new skills, which was valuation of a business. There was a lot of free time available to either work on the case studies or network around the firm. It was an amazing experience!

Yes

Keep in mind the values that Goldman Sachs occupies when making your application - they are key to the culture of the firm. Be open and approachable. There is a huge focus on collaborative excellence at the firm. Before applying, it is very useful to actually speak to the people at the firm at networking events. For preparing for day one, no preparation is necessary, but it would be useful to learn some accounting and valuation fundamentals beforehand, which will allow you to grasp the concepts taught in the training quicker.