College Internships are the Key to Job Offers

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) reports that nearly 80% of its business students complete at least one internship or cooperative experience (paid, for credit work temporarily replacing classes) during their college days.  The college attributes this, in part, to the reason that more than half of its business students have one or more job offers in hand by the time they graduate. The companies with which TCNJ students launch their careers include: Bloomberg L.P., Citibank, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Madison Square Garden, Target, Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) Morgan Stanley, NBC Universal, Tiffany & Co. and Trenton Thunder.

Of course, TCNJ is not the only college that recognizes the importance of internships. According to a survey conducted by U.S. News, the average proportion of graduating seniors nationwide with internship experience hovers around 42 percent.  But the numbers vary dramatically among colleges. Some schools reported more than 95 percent of graduating seniors had internship experience; some reported less than five percent did.

Internship experiences bridge the gap between the academic and professional worlds, making it easier for students to transition from college life into a career.  According to Internships.com, seven out of ten internships result in a full time job offer. Thus, the availability of internships should be a key criterion that college-bound students take into consideration when identifying their college of choice. 

Many students seek a summer internship, so as not to limit their opportunities to companies located within the vicinity of their college. While some companies provide an exceptional internship experience, others immerse students in mundane and trivial tasks.  WayUp, a job site and mobile app for college students and recent grads, asked students who interned during the summer of 2017 to identify those that provided the best experiences. According to the CEO of WayUp, Liz Wessel, “The top 10 programs stood out as being the ones that focused the most on ensuring their interns learned as much as possible from executives, mentors and one another.”

Under Armour earned top kudos for assigning each intern in its “summer league” with a personal mentor.  Enterprise Rent-Car came in second with internships in management, accounting, and brand “ambassadorship.” CohnReznick, an accounting and tax advisory firm, took third place, providing interns with an opportunity to work on projects related to renewable energy, technology, life sciences and real estate.

Rounding out the top ten, respectively, were Newell Brands, Google, Facebook, EY, L’Oreal, General Electric and Dell Technologies.

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.