Underclassmen Opportunities
This blog post was written by Peer Career Ambassador, Alex Rabell ’21
This article is focused on first years and second years at Babson College. So you attended the career expo and other career events these past weeks and realized most companies do not offer internship opportunities for underclassmen. So what do you do? There is no need to freak out, there are plenty of other opportunities out there for things you can do over the summer. Below I will talk about three big opportunities that many underclassmen don’t consider for their summers, but can be very beneficial for their career development.
- Leadership events
Many large firms offer 2-4 days leadership programs for underclassmen. In these programs the firms have global leaders from their firm give presentations explaining in detail what the firm does and just giving overall career advice. The programs usually also include interactive workshops, engaging team-building activities and more. It is a great way for you to learn more about the firm, learn what it takes to work in the firm and network with current employees of the firm. It is always great to know people who work for the firms you are interested in, staying in touch with them could be very beneficial in the future. Some of the firms that offer these programs include: Ernst & Young, PwC, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, General Electric and McKinsey & Company (only for women). The great thing about these programs is that they not only serve as an educational experience, but also many times students who attend such events receive internship offers from the firm for the following summer.
- Find internships through connections
Another great opportunity that many underclassmen do not consider is applying for an internship through a connection. If you know that your best friend’s uncle works for a consulting firm and that is the field you are currently interested in, do not be afraid to reach out asking if you could intern for them over the summer. Many times employees have vacation breaks over the summer so companies need people to come in and help. Even if you are not doing an interesting job, it is always good to be in such environments because you get to understand from a first hand perspective what it takes to work in such places, get to network and learn by collaborating with the people at the office. It is possible that they reject your offer for an internship position, but in that case you can always ask if you could shadow somebody at the office for a couple of days. Shadowing allows you to see exactly what the employee does on the day to day, helping you figure out if that is truly something you would like to do.
- Get ahead with classes
Lastly, it is always great to get ahead with classes. This can allow you to have space to take more focused classes earlier on or even be able to graduate early, saving you a lot of money and time. After the first year, it is great to take Managerial Accounting and Operations Management over the summer to get ahead with your required courses. MAC and TOM are two separate courses that students must take at the same time as a requirement of the SME foundation at Babson College This course is known for being one of the most challenging courses here at Babson. Taking it during the summer would allow you to focus all your time to the course.
These are just a few of the opportunities you could take advantage of during your first summers at college, but there are tons of other out there! Also, you do not have to just choose one, the summer is long enough for you to do more than one thing. Just remember to be productive.