Sustainability Analyst Review

I had the best time of my life - both learning wise as well as in terms of meeting some fantastic people during my placement year. I was placed at AIG Investments on Wall Street at the time and coming from a finance background, getting the opportunity to work on Wall street that early on in your career is like a dream come true.

I felt quite important given that I was made to attend steering committee meetings along with my mentor. Initially I took down minutes of the meetings but as time passed and I read a lot more and learnt more about the business I was also made to present to the steering committee as well as other analysts who valued my findings and made me want to work harder and kept me motivated.

My mentor would take me out to a working lunch once a month and give me constant feedback on how I was doing, what needed to be done differently, what was appreciated and what was not. She also guided me on how to pace myself so I could leave on time everyday to enjoy NYC and still complete all the work without any delays/staying back late.

I took an initiative to read and learn more about the business. When my mentors took notice of this and as time passed the responsibilities and tasks assigned to me increased. As time passed, I got quite busy. That being said, I still managed to leave work by 5-6pm on most evenings and had plenty of time to work-out, go enjoy the city, travel etc.

I graduated from assisting in research on ESG (Environmental, social and governance factors affecting valuations) to building the powerpoint presentations to eventually even presenting the same to the senior management. My work was presented to the Executive Management Committee and resulted in making the decision to offer to clients, if they request, the ESG impact on their portfolios.

The work-related skills ranging from presentation skills to research and analytical skills were definitely honed but I think what's more important was the interaction with like minded people and adjusting to the fast pace of New York life that really mould you as a person and help develop much faster than one would spending an equivalent period of time in their home country.

Great. Very formal - like most international financial firms would be. However, the people I worked around were very nice, easily approachable and very helpful.

The internship setup is really professional. They have been doing this for years and know exactly how to get stuff done. Right from helping out with the Visa work to ensuring someone comes fetches you at the airport, sorting out accommodation, filing of taxes - you name it - the guys have Mountbatten have got your back at every stage.

My placement firm (AIG) sent me for various events, trainings and seminars in my field of work (sustainability). Also Mountbatten has classes twice a week which further help in strengthening the theoretical base us.

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I think one of the most important aspects of the year was the way the fellow placement students interacted with each other. We went all out and partied like crazy but also tried to do something different almost every weekend - be it travel, sport or one of the many crazy events hosted by the city. Wouldn't have been the same experience without this.

New York is full of energy that we all know and love. I think the city has everything from nightclubs to dive bars, jazz, lounges, stand up comedy clubs - whatever suits your style. There's no need for me to really elaborate on this - the city is buzzing 24x7.

Yes. Opportunities were provided by Mountbatten throughout the year and this gave interns the opportunity to volunteer and become engaged in activities, other than work. Besides, there are many volunteer organizations in NYC that one can sign up for and provide