Vantaggi
To the outsider, the most attractive thing about Goldman may be the reputation of the firm and the doors it opens. Once you're in, you will discover that there is much more to the firm than that. You will have the opportunity to work on deals and with clients that other firms can only dream about. The place is a meritocracy in its purest sense - salaries, bonuses and promotions are 100% performance based, even for interns. If you are good, you will get ahead, regardless of how old you are and who you are jumping over to do so. The only downer is the difficulty in moving between divisions, especially to highly sought-after ones like sales and trading. Making the jump is very difficult even for qualified internal candidates who have demonstrated high performance. Ivy-league names matter more than actual accomplishments or capability at the entry level, and for experiences hires, past success as a salesman/trader is all that counts. This explains the fact that most traders are lateral hires. Finally, if you are in the Investment Banking division, work-life balance is a myth.
Svantaggi
Moving between divisions is very difficult, even for qualified candidates. See above for details.