The final stretch

Hello to all,

I know I've been absent and I apologize. Since my last post many things have happened. After my mid-summer review I realized that I had to step it up, as what I had done up to that point had been great, but now I had to demonstrate I could do more with all that I had learned. So I pushed myself very hard these last few weeks to be able to obtain a good final review and hopefully an offer to return.
Yesterday was supposed to be my last day at work. However, my managers asked me to stay on board for another week, but I did receive my end of summer review...and it went great!

Throughout these weeks, I have not only learned about what my team does, but I have been able to network and meet managers and other professionals from different areas across the firm and across other banks. It has been a great experience to learn about the culture differences amongst banks and how they reflect on their employees.

SEO has made this a very special summer. The events, the training and the support that is provided have played an integral role in my success this summer. I am certainly looking back to going back to El Paso and help aspiring candidates through the process! So if you're interested in coming to NYC let me know.

SEO not only provides opportunities to work in Investment Banking, but also Accounting or Asset Management. In addition, if Wall St. is not for you, SEO grants opportunities to work with Fortune 500 companies in the areas of finance and operations. Furthermore, if you are interested in attending Law School, there is a program available for you as well!

In terms of fun, I will not lie, I've had my fair share. Work in Wall St. can consume you, and it is important to work hard and play hard as well to keep your sanity.

I am looking forward to a great weekend and I will keep you posted as things wind down. There is so much I would like to tell right now but I cant. So keep posted!!!

See you all soon,

Alex

Happy 4th of July

Hello to all,

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Things have been going great. I have now reached the half-way mark and I'm feeling great. I had my mid-summer review and it went really well (a great way to start the weekend). I was a bit busy over the weekend, as we are at month end and quarter end, meaning that there is tons to do and so little time. However, I was able to enjoy my afternoons! I took care of some housekeeping on saturday, washing and taking some other clothes to get dry-cleaned. I then spent the whole afternoon with a great group of friends, who I hung out with once again on Sunday. We spent all afternoon in Central Park and then headed to the famous Macy's Fireworks (which lasted over 26 minutes).
I then recovered from all the activity on Monday by eating at Little Italy at a restaurant that was curiously managed by a peruvian family.

How about you? What did you do this weekend?

Best to all,

Alex
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I'm almost halfway there!

Hello to all,

The summer is going by so fast...its already been 4 weeks since I started, and I am about to
have my mid-year review. Work is getting complex, but I am enjoying every minute. Besides
being in charge of several daily reports, I am also analyzing different risks, creating cost savings, making sure that our product revenue is accurately tracked and solving day to
day issues (which really involve digging and contacting people). In addition, I am also organizing activities and events for our equities and cash teams, so that they get to spend more time together and continue to strengthen the working relationship that exists between these two control groups. Furthermore, I have created a few process manuals (so that the next intern or employee has no problems in taking on all the activities that I am responsible for) and have been looking over our highschool intern.
Work has certainly been busy, and work days are long, but go by so quickly, you wont even notice it is already 9 or 10 or 11 pm.

Now it is time for me to relax and get ready for work tomorrow. Too bad I won't be able to watch the US-Ghana match, but I will certainly be watching the replays; and of course, looking forward to SUNDAY...VAMOS MEXICO!!! SI SE PUEDE!

That is it for now!
Drop me a line or ask me some questions!

Have a great weekend and best regards,

Alex

Things are looking bright

Hope you all didn't miss me so much, but as expected, work is getting busier and busier every day.
I started off working on a few reports a day and I am now working on about 12 daily reports. Some of them are for internal use and others go to upper management. JPMorgan is an amazing company and operates as a meritocracy. It also furthers diversity and communication amongst teams and employees across all lines of business.
In addition to work, I have been able to meet several people in the industry from across different companies, and I am receiving invitations to different seminars and networking events. So it is safe to say that things are going really well on the professional side of things.

On the fun side, I can't complain! The city has so much to offer and provides for so many opportunities. For example, a week ago I stood in line to receive a "Key to the City," which gives me access to several places that are closed to the public and across all five boroughs. I haven't been able to take advantage of it yet, but I plan on doing so. Furthermore, I went to central park this past sunday, and had a great workout (and lots of fun) with the rowboats at the lake. Finally, I watched "Toy Story 3" in 3-D! It was my first time watching a 3-D movie and it was amazing.

Well, I know this is a bit short, but I better get going. Please let me know if you would like me to touch on a subject or if you have any questions about my stay in New York.

Will write to you soon!

Alex

A busy week!

Hello to all,

I am sorry for not posting anything during the last week, but it has been an intense couple of days. I have been assigned a great team in JP Morgan, working on US Equity Derivatives, where (in plain english) I will be pricing and reporting on financial products such as options, futures, swaps, structured notes and more.
I have gone through extensive training in the Microsoft Suite. Extensive enough that I have learned how to utilize excel without laying a finger on the mouse! In addition to this I have been able to attend several seminars where I have learned much from experts in Investment Banking and I have been able to network with these great people.

Furthermore, I have now moved into my place (Brooklyn Heights)and settled in. The area is peaceful and alive at the same time. There are many ehtnic restaurants, movie theatres, including one that screens independent films only, friendly people and the best view of New York City!
I have a roommate who comes from Florida (Andre) and will be working with Goldman Sachs this summer. He is definitely a great guy and I am really looking forward to what this summer has in store in terms of professional experiences and networking. I am loving the fact that everyone here is so driven and outgoing, allowing me to be at the top of my game and pushing myself at all times.

Well, that is a snapshot of the last week. I will keep you posted on any new developments and if you have any questions do not hesitate to shoot me a line.

Until next time,

Alex

1st day of training

Hello to all,

This has been a very busy but exciting day! Today, all of us interns recruited by SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunities) gathered at Baruch College at Lexington Av. to begin our training. We were visited by several Managing Directors, Vice Presidents and SEO alums, who gave us great advice as to what to expect this summer, how to prepare and how to land an offer by the end of this 10-week internship.
In addition to this, I received a call from my JP Morgan Supervisor, who let me know that I have been assigned in JP Morgan's U.S. Equity Derivatives Control Group, which in plain English means that I, alongside other group members, will be evaluating the financial consequences of the creation and selling of certain investment products (swaps, bonds, notes, stocks, exotic derivatives, etc.) to our corporate clients.
I will continue with EXCEL training tomorrow and I'm looking forward to my 1st day at JP Morgan on June 2nd.

This is all for today!

Best,

Alex

1st Night in the Big Apple

After a long day of traveling, I finally made it to NYC!
I took a cab, and arrived at Oscar Delgado's place, who is one of my friends and
currently is employed at Goldman Sachs. I will be spending my first week
in his place as my apartment contract doesn't start until the 30th.
We spent the afternoon catching up on almost a year of not seeing each other
and talking about what this summer has in store for me as an intern.

Welcome to the BLOG!