The Internship Search

By Lauren

"Congratulations, we would like to offer you a position as a Summer Associate....."

Those are the words every First-Year MBA student is waiting to hear. After a TON of time and effort, I can happily say that I finally heard those words, and my internship search is over! The internship search is daunting, time consuming, and a lot of work. But it's also exciting- you get to explore new companies and career paths. Through the process, I learned a lot about myself and envisioned myself in a number of different companies and career paths.

While everyone's internship search is different, here is my advice on going about the internship search.

Lauren's Keys to Successfully Finding an Internship

1. Start Early!
2. Network, Network, Network!
3. Attend Information Services
4. Use Career Services

Start Early: Beginning in September, I met with my Career Services Advisor to identify an internship search strategy that involved networking, attending information sessions, and exploring companies I was interested in. She helped me realize that any work I did in the beginning of the year would help me later on and that the sooner I started, the more companies I could explore, the more connections I could make, and the more I'd learn about what I really want to do.

Network: I set up a number of informational interviews throughout the first semester that positioned me well to secure an internship at the beginning of my second semester. I held two informational interviews with two employees and networked with several other people at the company I am interning for this summer. Those conversations not only helped me learn about the company, but were incredibly helpful during my interviews because I had prior insight into the company, demonstrated interest in the company, and a good explanation for why I wanted to intern there.

Attend Information Sessions:  BC brings top-ranked companies to campus for Information Sessions such as John Hancock, Liberty Mutual, Hasbro, CVS Caremark, EMC, and Oceanspray, to name a few. I attended as many information sessions as possible to learn about companies and industries I was interested in as well as ones I wanted to learn more about. Every information session is a learning opportunity as well as a great way to network with company representatives and establish relationships for the future. I made connections with several representatives at information sessions and made a point to introduce myself to the representatives of the company I'm interning for!

Use Career Services:  My career advisor was amazing. She was willing to meet with me as often as I needed to help guide me through the process. At first, I met with her every two weeks to prepare for informational interviews, brainstorm new companies to target and connections at those companies. She provided helpful advice on some of my cover letters. The day before one of my interviews, I had a freak out moment, and frantically emailed her asking for advice on how to prepare. She met with me for an hour, simulating an interview, helping me build my impact stories, and providing insight on the types of questions they would ask and pointed me towards facts I should know about the company. She also pumped me up and gave me an extra boost of confidence for the interviews.

The Interviews

So, what are internship interviews actually like?

First Round Interviews: Most of the companies I interviewed with started with a 30-45 minute behavioral interview where they asked basic questions like:

• Why an MBA?
• Why do you want to work for this company?
• What is your least favorite class?
• Tell me about a time when you had to use data to make a decision
• Tell me about a time when you navigated a difficult situation
• Tell me about a leadership experience

Most of my behavioral interviews were very relaxed- the interviewer was trying to get a feel for who I am as a person and if I would fit into the company culture.  

Second Round Interviews: Most of my second round interviews involved a 30-45 minutes case and a 30-60 minute behavioral interview. The cases I did were not as bad as I imagined they would be, but I would say they definitely require preparation! During the case, my best piece of advice is to take a minute to organize how you are going to present your analysis so that you come across organized and make a more compelling analysis.  

"Super Day" Interviews: Some companies host "Super Day" interviews, where they bring lots of candidates to the company's office in for a series of interview (mix of case and behavioral). During these days, they not only evaluate you on how well you perform in the interviews, but also on how you interact with others while you're waiting for your interview. They may have a room reserved for candidates, where they converse with each other and current employees. This is a great opportunity to show that you can play well with others and fit in with the company culture. Not surprisingly, the interviews during Super Days vary- for example, one company I interviewed with had four separate 30-minute, back-to-back interviews, while another had a very relaxed pace. I came an hour early for my interview to mingle in the candidate lounge and stayed afterwards to eat lunch with candidates.

That has been my experience so far!  Hopefully these tips are helpful!

Looking Forward

Casey, MBA '15

by Casey

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am excited to share with you all of my upcoming adventures in the MBA program here at Boston College. Although I have only been here a little under two months, I already feel at home. A Home is a place where you feel loved, accepted and can be yourself – and I can honestly say that is how I feel about my new BC community. Everyone from my classmates to the professors to the administrators has welcomed me with open arms!

Who Am I?
I grew up in a suburb of Buffalo, NY, and attended SUNY Geneseo (about an hour away from Buffalo) where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, I returned to live with my parents and begin the dreaded first job search. The jobs available at that time were slim and so I accepted the first one that came along – a floor sales position with a furniture company. I quickly realized that this was not the job for me and began looking for something else. I visited a friend from college who was living and working in Boston, and she helped get me a job with her employer. Within a span of 4 weeks, I packed up my life in Buffalo and moved to Boston to embark on a new adventure. Boston is an amazing city and I am proud to call it home!

Why MBA?
Getting my MBA has always been a goal of mine, ever since I was an undergrad. Several of my Geneseo classmates were going on to get their MBAs right away, but I knew that I wanted and needed job experience first. An MBA is a seemingly natural progression from a business administration undergraduate degree, and so while I never considered obtaining any other master's degree, for me, it was all about timing. Could I get my employer to pay for my MBA? Should I go part-time or full-time?

Why Now?
For the last six years, I worked at a top 4 accounting firm in downtown Boston, preparing tax returns for international executives. I came in with no prior experience but was able to learn on the job and grow comfortable speaking the language of tax. I grew within the company and was promoted several times during the course of my employment. I was being challenged and the work was interesting, but I knew that I was not passionate about it and sometimes even dreaded the work day ahead of me. I was complacent at my job and fell into a rut. A change was needed! I had set a personal goal of getting my master’s within five years of graduating, but life got in the way. There comes a time and place (and this was true for me) when you can no longer make excuses and just have to make a decision. I realized last November that there is no time like the present! I kicked my MBA grad school application process into high gear so that I could make application deadline cutoffs for the fall start date.

Why BC?
The Carroll School of Management was the only MBA graduate program I applied to - and I'll tell you why. Hands down, it was the strength of their community. Because the MBA program is relatively small, I knew that the community of my classmates would be especially important. Now that I am here I also realize another key factor that I might not have known before attending, and that is that the students are collaborative rather than competitive. Personally, I do not think that I would have thrived in a highly competitive program, and so I am infinitely grateful that this is not one of BC MBA's espoused values or part of its culture. Does everyone want to do their very best and work hard in every class? Of course. But we are not cutting each other down to be the best we can be. Working on teams has really shown us the positives of being collaborative and working together. I know for a fact many of us would not have survived accounting otherwise!

Another part of BC's community is their alumni network. Although I did not know anyone that had graduated from the MBA program here, I knew several other alums from other BC graduate schools and they could not stop raving about BC and their experiences. There seemed to be such pride in being an "Eagle" that I just couldn't wait to be one myself! BC alumni seem to be in every city of every state of the country, and even internationally. The network is HUGE and a great resource for current students and recent graduates. With the support and guidance of this strong alumni network, I knew I could go and do just about anything.

From a purely aesthetic point of view, how could you NOT want to go to school on BC's beautiful campus? Since moving to Boston, BC had been in the back of my mind as the dream campus - the rolling hills, the beautiful buildings, the green quads, all next to the blue waters of the reservoir. When friends came to visit, I would actually take them walking around BC just because I thought it was picturesque.

What Happens Next?
Although I want to cherish these next two years, I know the time will fly by. We are challenged to look forward to what we will do when we leave here. I am excited to discover more about myself - my passions, my abilities, my skills, my weaknesses - and use this information to help direct and steer my career forward. Change is scary and we can dread the unknown, but I am confident that the MBA program here at Boston College will help equip me to be the best 'me' I can be - as corny as that sounds. They truly want me to succeed, even more than I do! I feel blessed for all the opportunities I will have and the doors that will open for me. Can't wait to see what the future holds!

The Part-Time, Full-Time Decision

By Jaclyn

For some, only one of these options will be a consideration. But for those of you who may be choosing between the two programs for the MBA, read on...

A QUICK SNAPSHOT:

	Full-Time MBA	Evening MBA
Length of Program	2 years	Varies; typically 3-4 years
Credits	56 total	56 total
Number of Students	Approx. 100 students; Split into cohorts of 50 for Year 1	Approx. 100 students; Options for Cohort or Self-Paced
Curriculum Requirements	Core courses +   specialization (6 electives)	Core courses +   concentration (3 electives)
Experiential Learning Components	Year 1: Design Thinking + Consulting Project Year 2: Business Plan Project	Business Development Workshop
Career Strategies	Access to all career services; Summer Internship, and opportunity for academic year	Access to all career services
Other Programs Offered	Access to lectures and events, international opportunities, and off-campus excursions	Access to lectures and events, international opportunities, and off-campus excursions

STUDENT PROFILES:

Meet Benjamin, an Evening Student...

1. Why did you decide to get your MBA?

I decided to get my MBA because I knew based on my career trajectory, I would manage people, operations and processes in a relatively short amount of time. The MBA has provided the theoretical knowledge I needed to thrive in a supervisor position when the opportunity was given to me.

2. Why did you choose the Evening program?

I chose the Evening program because, being that I am career young, I wanted to further my educational development while pursuing my career simultaneously. I knew it would take my 3-4 years to complete the program and in that span I would gain valuable full-time work experience.

3. What do you consider the strengths of the Evening program?

In my opinion, one of the greatest strengths of the Evening program is the opportunity to take theories and put them into practice literally the next day. There have been several times, where I learn a new concept or gain insight about a company's best practices and I can relate the idea to my current job and make suggestions for implementation.

Meet Rachael, a Full-Time Student...

1. Why did you decide to get your MBA?

I chose to get my MBA for several reasons. My previous academic experience is in humanities and prior to attending BC, I worked at an international nonprofit. I was therefore eager to complement my nontraditional background with a rigorous business education. Also, I plan to work in brand management following graduation, so as a career switcher an MBA has given me the practical and theoretical tools needed to thrive in a new industry. Finally, I was eager to be in a classroom of peers and professors with diverse backgrounds. I've learned a tremendous amount from class discussions and case analyses, and now have a strong personal and professional network that will last long after graduation.

2. Why did you choose the Full-Time program?

I was eager to be immersed in the business school experience, and felt that it would be a challenge to fully take advantage of the social and academic aspects of the program if I were also juggling a full-time job.

3. What do you consider the strengths of the Full-Time program?

I feel that the greatest strength of being a full-time MBA is that you are fully immersed in the program, which contributes to a rich and holistic understanding of business. For example, topics I learned in a first quarter strategy course have continued to develop in future classes, and being in the program full-time highlights those connections and helps crate a comprehensive understanding of the enterprise. As full-time students, we are also committed primarily to this program, which fosters a sense of camaraderie that will lead to lifelong friendships.

For more information, please visit:
Full-Time: http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/csom/graduate/mba/fulltime.html
Evening: http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/csom/graduate/mba/evening.html