My Journey: From an Electrical Engineering Student to a Morgan Stanley Strats and Quant Intern

Introduction:

Hi everyone, I am Sankalp Bhamare, a third-year UG student studying Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay, sharing my journey to joining Morgan Stanley as a 2023 Summer Strats and Quant Intern, a 10 weeks program offered under the Fixed Income Division.

Internship Preparation:

During my internship preparation, my primary focus was on domains related to technology, specifically Software Development and FinTech, which is a combination of finance and technology. To enhance my skills in these areas, I turned to resources such as LeetCode and InterviewBit. These platforms provided a wealth of coding exercises and interview-style questions that were relevant to major software development companies recruitment process. By utilizing these resources, you can significantly improve your coding abilities and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for excelling in interviews.

Additionally, I would like to emphasize on building a strong resume. I actively worked on various software development projects in Machine Learning, Image Processing etc... One notable experience was being a part of the software team of AUV-IITB, where I gained practical experience and learned various skills of team working, development practice on an industrial scale codebase . These projects added value to my resume and significantly increased my chances of being selected for interviews.

Overall, my targeted preparation, coupled with relevant projects and continuous skill-building, allowed me to align myself with the desired domains and enhance my prospects for securing the internship opportunity.

The Interview Process:

During the interview process at Morgan Stanley, the questions are specifically focused on concepts in C++ and Python. Additionally, there were logic riddles and basic math questions that drew from topics covered in first-year courses, such as matrices, differential equations, and probability, and in general questions evaluate the problem-solving skills of the candidate.

No journey is without its challenges, and mine was no exception. Prior to receiving the opportunity at Morgan Stanley, I encountered rejections from other companies, including Optiver, Microsoft, and DE Shaw. While these setbacks initially were saddening, I refused to let them define me. Instead, I considered each rejection as an opportunity for a new interview. I held onto the belief that with every interview, I finally was able to get into Morgan Stanley.