Ask most first-year university students what a "spring week" is, and you'll get a blank look. Ask a finalist who's just accepted a graduate offer, and there's a good chance a spring week is exactly how they got their foot in the door.
A spring week is a short insight programme, usually 2-5 days, run by major banks, consultancies and law firms specifically for first-year university students. You shadow real teams, attend workshops, and get a genuine feel for the job, all while the firm quietly assesses whether they want you back.
Many firms use spring weeks as their primary pipeline into summer internships. Perform well during the week, and you can walk away with a direct offer for a summer internship, skipping the standard application process that thousands of other students go through. It's one of the most efficient routes into competitive industries that exists.
Spring week applications typically open in August of your first year at university and close on a rolling basis through the autumn. If you don't know they exist until spring, you've already missed the window. This is the single biggest reason so few students take advantage of them: nobody tells you when you actually need to know.
Our Internships & Spring Weeks page covers the full timeline and how our mentors help first-years get ahead of the curve.