Spring Insight Review

It was a really good Spring Insight, as it covered pretty much every department. This is a great programme to prepare you for a Summer internship as it helps you decide which department is for you. Cramming IBD, PWM, IM, S&T etc, into one week is tough, so you may feel some topics are not covered in as great a depth as say on a purely IBD Insight Week, but the opportunity is there through network lunches and your own spare time to learn as much as you want!

As a Spring Insight group, we got to know each other pretty well. Morgan Stanley were keen for us to get to know them, as well as ourselves. Network lunches and dinners were laid on, so you got to know both colleagues and also the Deans and HR staff on the programme very well/

Very Good. HR were always very happy to help. Unlike some banks, they were happy to direct us to people in the firm who could help us with questions or presentation work. You receive a mentor, which is great, as even if they are not in a department you want to work in, they people who do, and can give you a contact detail. During preparation for my part of the presentation, I turned up unannounced onto a Sales desk to ask a few questions. The guys were clearly busy, but I was still given 5 minutes of their time as they explained how I could go about answering my part of the project. The next day, after writing my script, they were even happy to sit and hear me run through it. That is a testament to how willing people are to give support. They gained nothing in helping me out - it did not affect them if I did a good presentation - but they were nevertheless happy to help.

Your day is packed. This was great, and the team really tried to cram as much into the week as possible. At the end of the day, you were knackered, but you are stepping into an industry where every day is as tiring as this, so it was a good experience.

There is a difficulty in such a large corporation to hand 'real' responsibility to Spring Interns. You are never going to be allowed to trade or call a client, and the Spring Insight is always going to be more educational. The project based work is where you can take a grip of things, and take things as far as you want. Use it as a chance to arrange to meet people at the firm who you would over wise not meet.

If you want to get a graduate job at the firm, or in the industry, this program is priceless. You learn a lot about the industry, ultimately making a career decision based on which departments you do/don't want to work in.

Some presentations can be dull if you have no interest in the role, but then it is for decide if you want to fall asleep! For me, I found it lively and interesting.

Apart from some people not being able to make certain presentations due to work commitments, there was a planned out timetable, and it was stuck to. There were gaps for lunch/extra rotations, and if there was a change in plan you were contacted well in advance.

They gave us as much knowledge as you wanted, in the sense that if you had a more technical question during a presentation, they were always answered. The firm really gave the impression of wanting to get to know us better and educate us, with the aim of helping us get a summer internship

I have been called back for an interview, which I am going to. If I didn't want to work for them, I wouldn't be going to it! The future prospects are great. The summer internship (for S&T) looks great, with 3 desk rotations rather than just one - so all very appealing!

Good chance to mingle between/after presentations. Lunches and one evening dinner laid on. There is a large group, so to be honest you only 'get to know' say 8-10 people very well, but then via Facebook there is always the chance to stay in touch with everyone.

Canary Wharf isn't the cheapest, but then its not Mayfair, so standard pricey London pints. I lived from home, and my travel was paid for. You get given a £15 electronic card to pay for lunches, which is more that enough given 2 or 3 of them are free network lunches anyway.

I didn't personally go out late, but come on ... its London! There is everything and anything in the capital. Even the wharf alone as dozens of bars and clubs. The West End isnt far either.

I met up a few times outside of work, but tbh if you are getting up at 5am you have no intention of rolling in a 3am after a night out. Perhaps I was too sensible!