As an attendee of the first BT Breakouts trip, I can attest that it is an incredible opportunity for Princeton sophomores and freshmen hoping to gain insight into major companies that they might be interested in working for. This first BT Breakouts trip allowed a group of 15 students to visit the offices of Uber, JP Morgan, and Tiffany and Co in New York City. At each office, students had the chance to meet with executives, ask them questions, and learn more about their respective companies. After each meeting, the group of students was able to tour the company offices.  

The first stop on this trip was Uber. Here, the group had the opportunity to meet with three people: the creative director, the general manager for New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and a Princeton graduate (ORFE class of 2011) who is working on developing UberEats. We had time to ask them questions about a range of topics. We learned more about their advertising methods, the new technological developments they were working on (like self-driving cars), and their plans for domestic and international expansion. Uber’s office had a very laid-back, startup feel. Employees were casually dressed, and the work space had a very open layout. They also had rosé on tap in their kitchen.

The next office we visited was JP Morgan’s. Here, we were greeted by a panel of recently graduated Princeton Students, a vice president in investment banking, as well as recruiters. Here, the group asked questions about the internship application process, the analyst training program, and the company’s team-oriented work method. We also discussed the majors of each of the analysts on the panel, and found that there was a huge range represented.  The panelists had majored in everything from History to ORFE. At this meeting, recruiters also informed us of important internship application deadlines. I will include them at the end of this article. JP Morgan’s office was impressive. It was bright, sleek, and modern - probably what you would expect a major corporate office to look like. The atmosphere was a lot more professional than that at Uber.

The last office the group visited was Tiffany’s, and it was the office that best encapsulated the benefits of this event. Undergraduates at Princeton could easily see themselves working for companies like Uber and JP Morgan, but fewer can readily see themselves working at a company like Tiffany’s. After speaking with executives, many people were surprised that they could use their computer science degree to work for this jewelry company. At Tiffany’s, we learned about the company’s newly developed program that allows individuals to customize their own watches. We also learned about Tiffany’s environmental initiatives, the production of their products, and their global presence. Tiffany’s office was truly reflective of its brand - it was designed with blue accents and had diamonds on display.

BT Breakouts was an enlightening and informative experience for everyone on the trip. The whole group gained significant insight into three major companies that covered a range of industries. Not only were we able to speak with executives and learn information directly from them, but we were also able to see their offices and imagine what it would be like to work at one of them.  

JP Morgan 2018 Summer Internship Program Deadlines:

Early Insight Application Deadlines

• Launching Leaders: August 15

• Winning Women: August 15

• Military and Veterans: September 4

• Proud to Be: September 4

2018 Summer Internship Application Deadlines

• Corporate and Investment Banking: September 15

  • Banking, Markets, Global Treasury Management, Investor Services

• Corporate and Investment Banking: October 1

  • Corporate and Investment Bank Risk Management

• Asset and Wealth Management: October 1

• Commercial Banking: October 1

• Chase: October 15

• Corporate: December 1