Jane Wong, is a senior EIA major and resident of the I-House, a residence hall on campus where international students and Georgia Tech students live together and participate in international-related programming. She interned with Bank of America in New York in summer 2008. We asked her a few questions about her internship in the Equity Research Division and how her time at Tech helped her succeed in her internship.
What did you enjoy most about your internship and what did you find most challenging?
I enjoyed being surrounded by very smart people and learning from them. I was very thankful to have a team that cared about my progress and learning. Also, I met many interns from different prestigious schools around the country. I felt that the work I was able to contribute to was extremely interesting and relevant.
The most challenging part of my internship was learning about and understanding the industry. Some of the interns were business majors, so they are constantly studying this in school, but there were many of us who were not finance or business majors who got to hands-on experience in how the markets and different financial instruments worked.
Tell us about an experience that made an impression on you during your internship.
I was allowed to sit in a meeting between my boss, a Senior Research Analyst / Managing Director, the team, and an Investor Relations (IR) representative / Vice President of a particular company. This IR representative discussed the financial status of his company with my boss and the team. This was a rare opportunity for me to gain insight on some of the overall industry trends his company was facing.
In what ways did your time at Tech prepare you for the internship?
My freshman year, I was an undecided-engineering major, so I went through all the pre-requisites with everyone else here at Georgia Tech. I felt like the freshman courses helped prepare me in the competitiveness of the finance industry because I had to compete for my grade in the large math and science classes! Separately, my Ivan Allen courses have given me a strong analytical basis and critical thinking skills that were helpful for my internship. My involvement in the Georgia Tech Student Foundation Investments Committee taught me the basics of finance and led me to meet students whom I looked to as mentors for entering the industry.
After graduation, I plan on moving back to New York to work for Bank of America. The current markets are probably the most difficult most people have ever seen in their lives! I also intend to pursue an MBA in the future.
