I truly believe my placement year has prepared me for the world of work

Helen Walls stood smiling in front of a rose bush
Helen Walls
Undergraduate student
Mathematics with Placement Year BSc
Helen did a placement year as part of her course, which she spent working at Goldman Sachs International as an equity research analyst.

Following my second year I decided to apply for a range of year placements, with no real idea of what I wanted to do once graduation came around. The opportunity not only provided me with invaluable experience, but most importantly gave me the opportunity to realise what to look for in graduate applications.

During my placement in the Global Investment Research department I worked in two teams within equity research.

The first half of my internship was in the consumer staples single-sector team. The manner of this research was often fast-paced and specific to a company, forecasting stock prices for 12 months ahead. Regular responsibilities included a daily news briefing, to inform the team on news flow relevant to the sector as well as updating company models when earnings were released.


I was pushed to think on my feet during discussions and pitches, create my own ideas, deal with situations in pressured circumstances and be expected to retain knowledge of practices and information quickly

Helen Walls

Mathematics with Placement Year BSc


On rotation I was placed in a team called 'Fortnightly Thoughts'. This thematic, big-picture research looked at potential investment ideas across multiple sectors and longer time frames of up to five-to-10 years. Here the need for creativity and an extensive knowledge for a whole multitude of sectors was what made it just as enlightening.

The number of skills gained and developed during my experience is truly extensive. Analysis, problem-solving and accuracy were skills that I had the opportunity to develop daily. I soon got into the habit of sense-checking each piece of work that passed me, questioning the reasoning behind each conclusion.

These skills have aided my learning during my final year tremendously. I was pushed to think on my feet during discussions and pitches, create my own ideas, deal with situations in pressured circumstances and be expected to retain knowledge of practices and information quickly.

I truly believe this year has not only prepared me for the world of work and made me more aware of what to look for in a job, but also matured my way of thinking in a way that's already benefitting my final year of studying.


Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

International Merit Scholarships

We offer a generous package of financial support for international students including 75 undergraduate scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee and 125 postgraduate taught scholarships worth £5,000 towards the tuition fee. Applications are now open for existing offer holders.