10 things you can learn from JPMorgan's 2016 analyst class on Wall Street

Whether you’re currently doing a summer analyst program or internship or are positioning yourself for one next summer, that is the best bet to land a job as a full-time investment banking analyst after you graduate. That said, there are multiple avenues that are viable ways to start off your banking career on the right note. The following are some potentially useful or interesting takeaways from JPMorgan's 2016 analyst class in the U.S.

1. Internships are usually within J.P. Morgan

Jack Glassey interned at Lincoln Financial Advisors’ PFG Advisors and participated in JPMorgan’s summer analyst program in the technology group before graduating with a B.S. in management of information systems at Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business. He won a state championship in the DECA Business Competition and is a member of Management of Information Systems Association and the International Business Association.

Toni Jacovini participated in the Operations Analyst Development Program (OADP) the summer before she graduated with a B.S. in business administration, marketing and information technology from Monmouth University.

Maryana Hrynyuk served as a finance intern at Joseph Gunnar & Co., a broker-dealer, and a summer analyst at JPMorgan before graduating with a B.B.A. in finance and economics from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York.

Amanda Steinback graduated with a Bachelor's degree in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She interned at Old National Bank and was an investment banking summer analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Last year, she was a summer analyst at JPMorgan.

Lisa Cohen was a summer analyst at JPMorgan last year before graduating with her M.B.A. from Indiana-Kelley, where she was a peer tutor and teaching assistant. She participated in The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and volunteered for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters nonprofit organization.

2. But a variety of experience counts 

Jesse Yu graduated with a Bachelor's degree in finance, global business, management and public policy at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His internships were quite varied, from management consulting at Edelman and private wealth management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch to private equity finance and investment banking sales and trading at JPMorgan. He focused on asset-backed securities origination as a JPMorgan summer analyst last year.

3. Industry experience and professional qualifications count 

R.J. Bell graduated with a Bachelor's degree in finance, international business and Chinese enterprise at the University of South Carolina-Columbia, where he was a member of the Finance Club and participated in exchange programs in Italy and Hong Kong. He interned at Adminovate, a software and services company, and 7 Mile Advisors, a boutique investment bank. He is scheduled to take Level III of the CFA exam next year.

4. You don’t have to be an Ivy Leaguer

Courtney Wirths graduated with a B.S. in finance from The College of New Jersey, where she worked a wide range of roles at The Signal, TCNJ’s student newspaper, while interning at Crystal Springs Resort and Mountain Creek Resort. She completed JPMorgan’s summer analyst program last year.

5. Investment clubs look good on your resume

Yvonne Jeng graduated with a B.S. in business administration from Bucknell University, where she was a portfolio manager for the student-managed investment fund and a member of the Women in Finance organization. She participated in a Goldman Sachs externship, Morgan Stanley’s Early Insights Program for Women and Jefferies’ Women on Wall Street event. Last summer, she worked as an intern in the financial reporting group at Allergan.

6. But other societies show that you're 'well-rounded'

Gabrielle Golan was a peer facilitator, president of the Residence Life Association and VP of finance in the student government at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management, where she graduated with a B.S. in finance. She also did a semester abroad in Madrid. Golan earned Bloomberg certification in fixed income, equities and commodities and did JPMorgan’s summer analyst program last year.

7. Yes, it helps to be an athlete

Cross-country and track athlete Melanie Notarstefano earned a full-ride scholarship to Fordham University in New York, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in applied accounting and finance. She worked as an intern at Marcum before completing JPMorgan’s summer analyst program last year.

8. Being able to speak multiple languages is an asset

Brazilian citizen Thais Bernik is fluent in Portuguese and English and also speaks Spanish. She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Universidade de São Paulo before moving to the U.S. and earning a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. During that time, she spend her summers well, serving as a private equity analyst, then doing an investment banking internship through the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity’s Career program and completing JPMorgan’s summer analyst program last year.

Renata Rique, also a Brazilian, speaks four languages. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and global affairs from Yale. Rique was a research analyst at the Brazil Institute of Economics (IBRE) and also was a summer analyst at JPMorgan last year.

9. Candidates with statistics and data analysis experience are in demand

After getting her Bachelor’s degree in economics and finance in China, Xianyun “Angela” Wang moved to New York to get her Master’s degree in statistics at Columbia University, where she was the founder and president of the Statistics Club and executive director of the Student Association of Science & Technology. She also has coding skills. She participated in JPMorgan’s summer analyst program last year and now works in a research role.

Joy Kiyabu got a Bachelor’s degree in business and engineering at Drexel University and worked as an operations analyst at a software company before getting hired by JPMorgan as a business data analyst.

10. It's possible to get straight into compliance too

Aysha Seedat went from the director of student life to the chairwoman of student legal services and ultimately to undergraduate representative on the board of trustees and student body president at Syracuse University. Last year, she was a corporate summer analyst in JPMorgan’s global compliance department, which she parlayed into full-time compliance analyst position at the bank after graduation.

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