Intern Review

The internship included rotations on a a lot of different desks as well as senior speaker series, networking and training sessions, and dinners. I got to know a lot of different people and I was able to build my network throughout the firm. The program is very intense since many things are going on at the same time.

Since the internship is run on a yearly basis and the business is normally more quit over the summer, you can approach almost everyone, ask all your questions and you are given a lot of different projects that enable you to impress the people you are working with. Most of the time, these projects involve work that is actually needed for the team. Only some teams gave interns a project which they made up before and which was designed more to test interns rather than involving interns in the work on the desk. Most desks invited us to go out with them for drinks, have dinner in the evening or join them for outdoor events at the weekend.

If you have any questions, thoughts or concerns, you can always approach your managers and supervisors. During the internship, we got allocated to buddy families that consisted of buddies (analysts), mentors (VPs), MD champions (MDs) and partners. In addition, HCM provided good guidance throughout the internship. I made a lot of friends during the program and even though there is some competition among the interns you always have a lot of different people you can speak to.

The internship is quite tough since a lot of different things are going on at the same time. You normally have to complete projects for the desks you are rotating on and - simultaneously - do a lot of networking to meet other people. In addition, we were given a couple of smaller projects and sometimes needed to come in over the weekend to work on our projects.

Since there are a lot of training sessions throughout the internship, there are a lot of opportunities to further develop your skill set. On the one hand, you learn how to work on a team and to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. On the other hand, you definitely improve your time management during your time at GS and you learn how to work efficiently. Finally, there were plenty of opportunities to develop your communication skills.

I have never seen a stronger corporate culture than the culture at GS. Despite the fast moving, constantly changing work environment, people enjoy what they do on a daily basis and I had the feeling that most employees developed a passion for their work. Everyone was incredibly helpful and you could always approach the members of your team if you had any questions, thoughts or concerns.

Since the program is run every summer on a yearly basis, the internship was organised pretty well. We started with three weeks of orientation and training where we got to know the different desks and people in our division. This was supplemented by senior speaker series, networking drinks and dinner, and a day of outdoor volunteering work. Finally, we had a mid-term and a final performance review, complemented by weekly catch-ups with our buddies and mentors.

GS still has an outstanding reputation in the financial services industry and beyond. The company puts a lot of effort into attracting and retaining the most talented employees, so working at GS gives you the opportunity to learn from some of the best people in the industry. If you decide at some point that GS is not for you any more, there are plenty of exit opportunities.

I was living in East London during the internship. I shared my apartment with a lawyer and did not have to pay too much. It was located near Shoreditch, so there were plenty of opportunities to go out in the evenings and meet local people. London is a great city to live in because there are many parks you can spend time in to relax and calm down. I also did some day trips to cities located nearby, including Brighton, Cambridge and Oxford.

Since the GS office is located in the city of London and not in Canary Wharf like most of the other bulge brackets, the nightlife is quite good. Not only are there plenty of bars and pubs where you can have an after-work beer in the evenings, but there are also some clubs located nearby where you can have a lot of fun on a Friday night.