By Joe Correa
Correspondent
Members from multinational bank JP Morgan Chase & Co. came to visit the College on Wednesday, Sept. 12 to discuss their 10-week summer Global Finance & Business Management internship program.
College alumni and current JP Morgan employees Michael Scotto, Casey Conroy and Emma Heide shared what it is like to intern and eventually work for a sought-after firm like JP Morgan. Scotto now works in mortgage banking, Conroy is a financial analyst and Heide is a business management analyst.
From financial analysis and project management to business management and controller experience, JP Morgan interns are exposed to nearly every facet of the financial industry.
“There’s a bunch of different lines of businesses that are encompassing this program… you get a lot of different exposure in a short amount of time,” Scotto said.
According to Heide, it is beneficial to gain experience in more than just the line of work that people are accustomed to. The 10-week summer internship program gives an extensive experience of what it is like to work for an investment bank.
“Going through the summer, your training isn't just about whatever role you’re placed in for your internship,” Heide said. “It’s really about everything throughout the firm, because the point of the internship is to get a full view on this business.”
As a graduate of the College who went through the program, Conroy explained what the application process was like before landing a role at JP Morgan.
"It was pretty easy for me to apply through the career center site,” he said. “A few weeks later I got an email saying I got an interview, and then within four days I got an offer.”
That straightforward process can be accredited to the College being one of the core schools that JP Morgan deems as reputable source for student interns.
“The biggest thing we like to reiterate is that we know the quality of students that go to this school,” Scotto said. “We worked very hard to get TCNJ identified as a core school into the GFBM program because of that.”
JP Morgan has more than 270 thousand employees and locations in over 60 countries, yet it also recognizes the importance of keeping in contact with a relatively small school like the College.
“You have a voice here,” Scotto said. “You have recent graduates — people who know what you’re going through and understand the quality of students that are here.”
Recruiters at JP Morgan understand the difficulty of gaining notoriety as a relatively small school, which is another reason why they are eager to take students from the College.
“TCNJ is a smaller school and it doesn’t quite have the presence that maybe some of the other larger schools would have, but we’ve worked hard to ensure that students here are a part of the program,” Scotto said.
Hena Parmar, a junior international business major and former intern, expressed the value of her summer at JP Morgan.
“Because I’m not a finance major or an accounting major, there was a lot I didn’t know technical-wise, but I never felt that I was at a disadvantage because there was always someone on my team who’s willing to teach you,” she said.
Michael Martis, a junior finance major, noted that the presentation made him eager to learn more about the internship.
“I definitely want to apply,” he said. “I really liked (the alumni) talking about their experiences. I’m pretty excited to talk to them.”
Applications for the 10-week summer Global Finance & Business Management program will become available on Oct. 14.
