[Brutal Chav]

Has anyone here actually been notified of a rejection?

[Part A]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
Has anyone here actually been notified of a rejection?

Have you checked your application status on the website?

[Brutal Chav]

(Original post by Part A)
Have you checked your application status on the website?

Yeah, and have been for the past couple of days...

"Current Application Status - Received" or something similar, nothing about an outcome yet

(I sent mine off on the 29th so maybe all the places have been taken - hence I was wondering why the rejection email took so long )

[Confused101]

They sent off the first batch of offers early April, then nothing since....I really hope that wasn't all the offers given out cos that'll just be unfair =/

[TomasK]

(Original post by Confused101)
They sent off the first batch of offers early April, then nothing since....I really hope that wasn't all the offers given out cos that'll just be unfair =/

Unfair? Why unfair?

[Brutal Chav]

(Original post by TomasK)
Unfair? Why unfair?

Are you serious mate? There was nothing said about a first-come first-served basis on the website. The date you submit the application has no relevance to your quality as an applicant. Plus this schools programme wasn't advertised at all so a bunch of people (me included) are likely to have only found out fairly late. Now your turn to tell me why it was 'fair'...

[TomasK]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
Are you serious mate? There was nothing said about a first-come first-served basis on the website. The date you submit the application has no relevance to your quality as an applicant. Plus this schools programme wasn't advertised at all so a bunch of people (me included) are likely to have only found out fairly late. Now your turn to tell me why it was 'fair'...

It sucks, it's depressing and pisses many off, but it's not unfair (this is coming from someone who received 5+ 'sorry, too late' rejection emails for Spring Weeks).

If the bank manages to find the required number of qualified people prior to the deadline, good on them. Less work to be done. It would have still been down to luck to an extent if they started checking applications after the deadline, because if they manage to find the X number of people they want before the go through the applicant list, there's not much point looking through the rest, surely? E.g. would you wait an extra 2 months and waste resources to go over each and every one of the applications if you found THE ONE candidate you were looking for early on? (assuming there's only one place)

Plus, at this stage (before even starting university) there's not much to distinguish between candidates, so again to an extent it's just throwing darts, considering you don't need go through interview stage as well. They don't have much to go by.

About the bold bits, sorry to say this, but they simply do not care, the only thing they care about is to get the number of people they want as long as the quality of these applicants is sufficient enough by their standards.

Saying this with all respect and realising how frustrating the situation seems.

[Confused101]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
Are you serious mate? There was nothing said about a first-come first-served basis on the website. The date you submit the application has no relevance to your quality as an applicant. Plus this schools programme wasn't advertised at all so a bunch of people (me included) are likely to have only found out fairly late. Now your turn to tell me why it was 'fair'...

Not only that but it was only open for barely a month, so giving out all the offers within the first 10 days would just be weird.
Although last year it's said that they gave out offers really late, like sometime in June apparently...so I assume they've still got offers to give out.

It's really strange how they gave out quick offers to a bunch of people who applied really early though.

[Brutal Chav]

(Original post by TomasK)
It sucks, it's depressing and pisses many off, but it's not unfair (this is coming from someone who received 5+ 'sorry, too late' rejection emails for Spring Weeks).

If the bank manages to find the required number of qualified people prior to the deadline, good on them. Less work to be done. It would have still been down to luck to an extent if they started checking applications after the deadline, because if they manage to find the X number of people they want to have on their programme, there's not much point looking through the rest, surely? E.g. would you wait an extra 2 months and waste resources to go over each and every one of the applications if you found THE ONE candidate you were looking for early on? (assuming there's only one place)

Plus, at this stage (before even starting university) there's not much to distinguish between candidates, so again to an extent it's just throwing darts, considering you don't need go through interview stage as well. They don't have much to go by.

About the bold bits, sorry to say this, but they simply do not care, the only thing they care about is to get the number of people they want as long as the quality of these applicants is sufficient enough by their standards.

Saying this with all respect and realising how frustrating the situation seems.

It makes sense but still, if they wanted to get their part done as early as possible, maybe it was worth making an earlier deadline. Since there's likely to be much more applicants than places, and they're not picking people 'just to fill the spaces' as if the government ordered them to or something, it makes much more sense to be more careful about selecting people - after all, most employees are ex-interns... but I suppose they don't have much reason to care cause it's only for A-levelers

[TomasK]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
It makes sense but still, if they wanted to get their part done as early as possible, maybe it was worth making an earlier deadline. Since there's likely to be much more applicants than places, and they're not picking people 'just to fill the spaces' as if the government ordered them to or something, it makes much more sense to be more careful about selecting people - after all, most employees are ex-interns... but I suppose they don't have much reason to care cause it's only for A-levelers

True, but they can only assume that given the qualities X, Y, Z from the applicant's CV, this guy/girl will make a great potential future employee (once again articulating the fact that they do not have much to go by in distinguishing people). Although it's way too early for them to be able to make any certain decisions, so they're just after people who tick several boxes, if that person ticks those fields, he's good to get the offer and from then on the programme is sort of an interview for potential future employment (in this case, spring weeks I guess). Obviously this changes with age - for spring weeks the selection process is a bit more thorough, for summer internships even more etc etc.

[Unsworth]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
Are you serious mate? There was nothing said about a first-come first-served basis on the website. The date you submit the application has no relevance to your quality as an applicant. Plus this schools programme wasn't advertised at all so a bunch of people (me included) are likely to have only found out fairly late. Now your turn to tell me why it was 'fair'...

I don't think you can blame it not being advertised much. People who have a great interest in these sorts of things will go and check websites of them regularly to see if they have any upcoming programmes such as this one. I think people are sensible who have looked early, found that this programme's application process opens on a certain date, then make a note and apply early on.

If you say you only found out fairly late then that is your fault for not looking around earlier and seeing that JP Morgan were running this programme..

[Confused101]

(Original post by Unsworth)
I don't think you can blame it not being advertised much. People who have a great interest in these sorts of things will go and check websites of them regularly to see if they have any upcoming programmes such as this one. I think people are sensible who have looked early, found that this programme's application process opens on a certain date, then make a note and apply early on.

If you say you only found out fairly late then that is your fault for not looking around earlier and seeing that JP Morgan were running this programme..

Well actually I found out about this programme month or two before it opened and pre-prepared my CV. Within the first few days I saw it opened, I go to submit my CV and then I see they ask for a 300 word paragraph which they didn't mention at all beforehand (and the motivation paragraph they ask you to put in your CV is seperate). So I spend the next two weeks drafting it, and woe and behold offers are handed out whilst I was doing this.

What I'm saying is, I took the initiative to find this out early on yet I was still disadvantaged for actually putting effort into my application? They should have told us about this paragraph we had to write separate from the CV beforehand.

[Unsworth]

(Original post by Confused101)
Well actually I found out about this programme month or two before it opened and pre-prepared my CV. Within the first few days I saw it opened, I go to submit my CV and then I see they ask for a 300 word paragraph which they didn't mention at all beforehand (and the motivation paragraph they ask you to put in your CV is seperate). So I spend the next two weeks drafting it, and woe and behold offers are handed out whilst I was doing this.

What I'm saying is, I took the initiative to find this out early on yet I was still disadvantaged for actually putting effort into my application? They should have told us about this paragraph we had to write separate from the CV beforehand.

Fair enough, I don't mean you specifically as you have shown you found it earlier, but I'm sure there are lots who didn't. Whilst I understand you want to submit a perfect motivational paragraph, you shouldn't have to spend two weeks planning 300 words. It isn't anything on the scale of a spring week where you may spend that amount of time drafting for; I completed my 300 words in about an hour I'd say and that was enough.

I only know of 10 people being accepted other than me so far, so I'm sure there will be another batch of offers to go out yet.

[Brutal Chav]

(Original post by Unsworth)
I don't think you can blame it not being advertised much. People who have a great interest in these sorts of things will go and check websites of them regularly to see if they have any upcoming programmes such as this one. I think people are sensible who have looked early, found that this programme's application process opens on a certain date, then make a note and apply early on.

If you say you only found out fairly late then that is your fault for not looking around earlier and seeing that JP Morgan were running this programme..

You're right - I can't blame it on not being advertised.

But don't talk out of your arse about people who "have a great interest in these sorts of things". If you read the opening lines on the 'School's Programme' webpage, it says that most people have no clue what they want to end up doing. In fact, 'interest' is only developed after you get a decent taste of something (which explains why medicine personal statements have to be packed with work experience rather than academics) and the whole point of the programme is to give that first insight into banking. I highly, highly doubt you get satisfaction from reading internet articles on banking and refreshing the sites in anticipation that an pre-uni event is going to pop up. Its the fast pace and competitiveness of the industry that we're drawn to right? Isn't an actual bank the best place to get a taste and subsequently experience? Quant positions are often occupied by PhD Mathematicians/Physicists/Engineers - you reckon they were thinking about investment banking while spending 3 years researching something so loosely related to the real world?

If you were focused on investment banking since the age of 10, good on you, but I had no clue that you had to start CV-building that early. Does that mean I have less potential in the industry than you do?...

[Tsunami2011]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
You're right - I can't blame it on not being advertised.

But don't talk out of your arse about people who "have a great interest in these sorts of things". If you read the opening lines on the 'School's Programme' webpage, it says that most people have no clue what they want to end up doing. In fact, 'interest' is only developed after you get a decent taste of something (which explains why medicine personal statements have to be packed with work experience rather than academics) and the whole point of the programme is to give that first insight into banking. I highly, highly doubt you get satisfaction from reading internet articles on banking and refreshing the sites in anticipation that an pre-uni event is going to pop up. Its the fast pace and competitiveness of the industry that we're drawn to right? Isn't an actual bank the best place to get a taste and subsequently experience? Quant positions are often occupied by PhD Mathematicians/Physicists/Engineers - you reckon they were thinking about investment banking while spending 3 years researching something so loosely related to the real world?

If you were focused on investment banking since the age of 10, good on you, but I had no clue that you had to start CV-building that early. Does that mean I have less potential in the industry than you do?...

I wouldn't worry seriously.. Physics at Cambridge.. The BBs will be faffing over you next year.

[Brutal Chav]

(Original post by Tsunami2011)
I wouldn't worry seriously.. Physics at Cambridge.. The BBs will be faffing over you next year.

Well I just want something to build on - since they employ interns which are selected (partly) based on experience, the sooner you start the better. The rant above was probably a mixture of envy towards Unsworth and regret that I wasted time in y12.

[Part A]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
Well I just want something to build on - since they employ interns which are selected (partly) based on experience, the sooner you start the better. The rant above was probably a mixture of envy towards Unsworth and regret that I wasted time in y12.

You have a pretty impressive academic record so I'm sure you'll get in as long as your motivation letter wasn't crap ahah

[Unsworth]

(Original post by Brutal Chav)
You're right - I can't blame it on not being advertised.

But don't talk out of your arse about people who "have a great interest in these sorts of things". If you read the opening lines on the 'School's Programme' webpage, it says that most people have no clue what they want to end up doing. In fact, 'interest' is only developed after you get a decent taste of something (which explains why medicine personal statements have to be packed with work experience rather than academics) and the whole point of the programme is to give that first insight into banking. I highly, highly doubt you get satisfaction from reading internet articles on banking and refreshing the sites in anticipation that an pre-uni event is going to pop up. Its the fast pace and competitiveness of the industry that we're drawn to right? Isn't an actual bank the best place to get a taste and subsequently experience? Quant positions are often occupied by PhD Mathematicians/Physicists/Engineers - you reckon they were thinking about investment banking while spending 3 years researching something so loosely related to the real world?

If you were focused on investment banking since the age of 10, good on you, but I had no clue that you had to start CV-building that early. Does that mean I have less potential in the industry than you do?...

No need for that rant, I don't spend my time 'refreshing sites in anticipation', however checking sites every couple months or so throughout the year seems a sensible thing to do. I have never considered investment banking myself, but I found this programme and thought it would be a good experience, so no harm in applying.

'Great interest in these sorts of things' was meant in the context of getting work experience on a whole - not specifically IB programmes. I'm merely exploring this option anyway, as I want to study Law.

To answer your last question, no not at all, but CV building now will only aid you in getting more experience in whatever field.

[student222]

Hey just a message to all you guys who will be applying to first year spring insight weeks once you're at uni, and who will probably be applying to internships the following year.

You will find out that filling in a lot of those application really takes up loads of time. There is this cool new website that is going to be helping to fill in all the generic information out and would save tons of time.

Check out their Facebook page, like it and all the updates should be there:

HelpYouApply Facebook Page

Check out the website at www.helpyouapply.co.uk

Let any of your friends know who might find it useful. They will be doing it for spring insight weeks, internships, graduate schemes and year placements.

[LouisdG]

Hi everybody!

I'm from Belgium (Brussels). I'd like to know if there were some other students not from the UK who had applied to this programme.

ps: I applied on the 25th of April, I didn't hear from them, I'm still under review...