coming to a year in investment banking - ama

What degree did you do? Am I right in thinking that you applied during your last year of your degree? I'm just not sure how thats supposed to work or do they schedule the assessment centre and interviews at a suitable time or did you have to miss classes? Did you have to move away from home?

At the moment I am interested in being an actuary but I probably should consider other careers in finance. I am doing a Natural Sciences degree at Durham University studying Mathematics and Physics and I am feeling as though careers in finance tend to suit people more interested in problem solving rather than the actual level of Mathematics involved(although in some cases this can be high at least while training) and I am also really interested in making a difference and solving problems that will really matter in the real world. With Physics and Mathematical Physics which describes what I am currently during in my third year they are very conceptual(based on key ideas) and problem solving based. Would you describe that as similar to the sort of skills you use in investment banking?

By the time that I start applying next year, I will have completed two research internships at my University(I have already done one and will do another this summer). How do you think companies will view this? Would they prefer experience within a finance company? The research mainly involves using programming and numerical methods to solve Physics problems but I have to read up all the underlying theory. I believe that a lot of companies are using computers to help solve a lot of the problems so I hope these experiences will seem attractive to employers. I have heard a lot about companies using spreadsheets on Excel(I have made a spreadsheet of the ranking of several Pro Evolution Soccer teams based on the games I play is this worth mentioning?) but I have also heard that some companies use VBA. Are you familiar with VBA? How hard is it to use if you are?

i applied to spring weeks and converted that process

Any fun story to share?
Anything to do/not to do during internships?
Biggest mistake made so far?

Which spring weeks are best to apply to?
Any tips on getting into spring weeks?
Any tips on getting internships after spring weeks?

Thanks chap

whats the general consensus within your analyst class? have people had enough and already planning their next career move?

do you regret choosing the firm you're working for?

did you get to meet the clients you were serving? if so, any notable ones?

were you able to save your money a lot?

what position do you play in football? what team do you support?

given you've studied finance and had prior internships, do you think you were well prepared relative to a historian or something? if so, were you that guy everyone asked for help?

did you prefer working on the strategy side of a deal or the valuation part?

your best moment at the firm so far?

What (if any) are the differences between being an IB analyst at different tier 1/2 banks?
Are there any banks that you would avoid/ have heard bad stories about?

Why did you choose your specific division over the others which you got internships for?

Do you know anyone who is considering staying in IB as a career (or at least 10 years or something)?
If so, why do they want to stay so much and not seek exit opps immediately?
Is there a certain type of person that is better suited to a full career in IB?

Have been reading your responses thus far and they've been really insightful. Thanks for doing this

should interns learn modelling prior to the internship?

any must-have/good to have skills as an intern? assuming excel, accounting and valuation are mandatory?

what are your thoughts of FIG? is it as bad a group as people make it out to be?

say an o&g company wants to IPO, how does the work split between ECM and the o&g industry team?

thanks!

Why do you think there is such a gulf between European investment banks and their American counterparts? and do you think this will persist going forward?

as an analyst, what is more important deal value or number of deals? goldman or rothschild?

is it easy to move laterally within ibd? so from m&a to ecm?

what was the worst shift you put in, in terms of hours? ever witnessed sunrise from your desk?

how far would you recommend to live away from the firm? so for instance, if youre based in CW, would living in canada water/Stratford be too far?

what was your typical day like?

what are your thoughts on consumer retail & healthcare groups?

can you move to PE & other exit opps before finishing your first analyst year? if so, is it bad practice?

i know you can move from ibd to consulting, but does the opposite happen?

how do people do it? you mentioned 20 hour work days, 2 days in a row (on weekends, no less). i'm sure after 10+ hours your productivity drops a fair bit. do you rely on that much coffee/energy drinks to keep you going?

is it really busy whole year round with say, a minimum 16 hour work day? or perhaps deal flow drops in the summer and hours get better?

what's your best day like?

What languages do you speak?

Thanks a lot for doing this. I'll be starting out this summer as an Analyst, so lots of really useful information here!

Do many analysts have girlfriends / boyfriends when they start? And what proportion of these relationships actually last?

Hey mate,

Great meeting you a few months back and hope your doing well. I have a few questions that I hope you could answer?

1) Is there an opportunity to play sports such as Tennis and Badminton during the working week at your bank or is it mainly activities such as football where you play with your colleagues when you can, rather than anything structured by the bank?

2) Whilst I know you work long hours, would you say the day goes quickly? Also are you working at 100% every minute or is it a case of doing a bit of work here or there, with the ability to have long lunch breaks, head to the gym etc until you get assigned work after meetings later in the day?

3) At weekends for the most part do you still get time to have a life outside of banking?

Thanks,
thatapanydude