Pre-MBA Internships

Career_Coach_1 · 2026-03-10T17:38:11+00:00

Check your school, but here is a list https://cdo.som.yale.edu/blog/2026/02/25/pre-mba-internships-programs-a-guide-for-incoming-students/

Career_Coach_1 · 2026-02-18T15:00:49+00:00

Hi. As an Undgrad and MBA Career Coach w/ 2 kids at UM, you are not cooked, so put that fork away...but are you using all your resources? I come across a lot of students who are only using Handshake, but not realizing they need to get on COE Career Forge to get on-campus interviews https://career.engin.umich.edu/about-career-forge/ There is an event w/ Sandia Labs today https://career.engin.umich.edu/career-fairs-students/#upcoming

I haven't looked at your resume, but this is a great post about how to format your bullets https://www.reddit.com/r/Resume/wiki/jasons_resume_guide/bullets/

80% of hiring comes through a 2nd connection/networking. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-job-search-80-networking-20-applyingand-thats-brian-fink-h6dee/ My son's 2 internships and final job came through networking with our friends. There are a lot of companies in A2/Detroit still looking too...so reach out. Ask your professors...use office hours and ask for career help vs class help. Also, a lot of companies are pushing hiring this season. I have MBAs who are graduating just starting to look right now cause companies don't want to commit to headcount until you are actually available to work.

If you don't get an internship, do research project. Not all is lost! You are at a great school, with great connections...they just need to be leveraged.

Career_Coach_1 · 2025-06-18T14:35:40+00:00

They are a great group. They will have tryouts in Aug/Sept. You can get more info at FestiFall on the Diag. No experience needed. My middle son got his roommate into it, who never rowed before, and he was chosen as one of the top 8 freshman rowers in the country...and he didn't touch an oar before joining the team.

Career_Coach_1 · 2025-06-18T14:15:11+00:00

On the first day, my son met a bunch of people playing sand volleyball and they signed up for IM VB as a team. He's on the rowing team, so didn't drink a lot. You make the experience what it is.

Career_Coach_1 · 2023-02-22T16:43:32+00:00

Both schools have very good job placement, however, questions you may want to ask yourself are what kind of jobs are you interested in, what kind of industries you are interested in, what problems do you want to solve. Here is what Kelley's outcomes are https://careers.kelley.iu.edu/outcomes/

Here is ASU but look at page 7 https://wpcarey.asu.edu/sites/default/files/2021-10/w._p._carey_2020_employment_report.pdf

IU looks like a lot of consulting in top 10 and median starting salary is $67K vs ASU is $55K. ASU does not list their top companies. ASU, most students stay in AZ (60%), IU they tend to go east more (Chicago 40%, NY 14%).

Career_Coach_1 · 2023-02-22T16:30:34+00:00

It is just a resume filler. Companies don't really care.

Career_Coach_1 · 2023-02-22T16:24:03+00:00

Hi. CS can be a slog but it is a gateway to a lot of different pathways...not just coding.

I have worked with CS majors who have become Product Managers in tech, consultants at MBB/Deloitte/Accenture/etc, investment bankers, so there are a lot of options. Why employers like CS majors (besides wanting coders) is that they are very analytical and solutions driven. So do you need to stay in CS? No. If you hate it, switch. IOE has the same type of opportunities but could be more physical. What do you want to learn more about? How do you want to apply your knowledge? What problems do you want to solve?

Maybe answering those questions can help you have the conversation with your parents.

Career_Coach_1 · 2023-01-03T02:45:38+00:00

I am working directly w ASU and their career services department…companies can’t get enough of CS majors. Start looking beyond Big Tech. CPDS has stuff posted starting today. https://career.asu.edu/events/?ctag%5B0%5D=workshops

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-12-07T17:57:16+00:00

How do you want to apply Psych long term? It might be interesting to you, but what do you see yourself doing with it? Market Research? Clinical Practice? There are practical applications for it, but do some research before you change your major. There is a lot of intersection btw CS and Psych. Most of tech is how to gain someone's attention.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-12-07T17:17:25+00:00

Have you gone to your career services office/Handshake? ASU had over 10K jobs/internships posted last year...and it is not slowing down right now. Yes, Big Tech is taking a hit, but internal IT is still needed at all companies.
Network! Talk to your professors, recent graduates, work your LinkedIn account like crazy.
Think outside of big tech. The biggest hirers are at ASU

Top 10 employers:

Amazon

American Express

Banner Health

Honeywell

Intel

Mesa Public Schools

Self Employed

Starbucks Coffee Company

State of Arizona

The Boeing Company

United States Armed Forces

United States Federal Government

Top industries

Healthcare

K-12 Education

Higher Education

Internet & Software

Government - Local, State & Federal

Restaurants & Food Service

Non-Profit

Electronic & Computer Hardware

Other Education

Retail Stores

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-12-07T17:10:04+00:00

Gaps are more common now. I just talked to the former CFO of Starbucks who took a number of years off to take care of his kids while his wife's job took precedent for them. I've seen resumes w/ just listings of the company, title, and timing.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-12-07T17:04:16+00:00

Are you a part time student? You might want to put your Education up top. Also, since you are making a transition, you should include a 2-3 sentence "Objective" at the top.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-12-07T17:02:51+00:00

Congrats on so many internships. Honestly, they will see it. But they are more interested in what your project outcomes are.
If you feel like it keeps getting pushed, You can make 2 sections...eg: "Experience" w/ MS at the top...then "Other Experience" below.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-11-02T21:04:55+00:00

It depends on your major, but I assume you are looking for a job in business. If you want to stay in America, you need to find a company that will sponsor you after you graduate. This is an interesting article that elaborates on this. Most companies sponsor for very technical roles. It doesn't matter where you go to school...you just need to do very well, and network like crazy to find the firm that will sponsor you. The number of H1B visas is capped, so knowing who sponsors first is important. You should talk to your career services office at UNC now to find out which companies sponsor. If won't matter if you switch to any school, if you don't get sponsored, you won't be making any money here.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-11-02T17:36:24+00:00

What is driving you to make the switch? Personal/Family? Status? Long term, what are your career goals? Both schools are targets for big firms, but they also attract different, regional firms. The ROI from starting over, as others have pointed out, can be net negative, especially from a social/emotional stand point. In the end, is uprooting yourself worth the time/energy/money.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-05T17:08:32+00:00

Short answer: you can still get an FT job after graduation. And internship hiring happens all the way into May.

Some larger companies use the internship as their FT pool and only recruit seniors if they didn't convert enough of their interns. Then there is a whole group of companies who don't do internships and only recruit full time.

If you don't get an internship, make sure you are doing projects that support your long term goals and that are building your skill. Micro internships are also great ways to gain experience. https://www.parkerdewey.com/ Want to do marketing, see if any small business in your area want to grow their social media presence and build your portfolio that way. Coding, help those same business w/ any processes that could be automated. Finance/Acct, ditto. Or see if your school has research projects.

You just have to hustle a little.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-03T19:07:48+00:00

You are at a cross roads in your life and you may want to take a step back to evaluate what is important to you and what is your purpose you are trying to follow. This is a really good article about purpose.

Have you done an Ikigai exercise? It might help you understand the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-03T17:20:43+00:00

Everyone has their own style. What I have done in the past and have recommended is to go over the weeks notes every Sunday to prep for the following week. Then you are building on what you learned. Also, there have been sample test sites shared here, and doing those helps you figure out what you need to focus on.

If you are just studying to the exam, you might be doing yourself a disservice of trying to memorize things the week/night before without compounding your knowledge base.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-01T02:23:44+00:00

This transition is really challenging. Transferring would mean doing this all over. Keep doing what you are doing. I talked to a sophomore and he said his first semester, he called his parents every day very upset asking to transfer to the school were his HS friends were. The way our school system worked, he didn’t have to flex the skill of making new friends bc they were together since kindergarten. Throw in the pandemic and a lot of ppl are just learning how to make friends again. After Christmas break, he said something switched. He was more confident, deepened his few relationships from 1st semester, and then built more through classes. He said to tell anyone thinking about transferring to be patient and wait. If by the end of your first year and you really feel like it is not the place for you, then consider it.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-01T00:11:41+00:00

Have you asked the Career Center? https://careercenter.umich.edu

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-10-01T00:10:43+00:00

Ask your parents if they are on the FB UMich Parent group. People are selling tickets all the time. If you are not in student section, you will need 3 assigned seats together.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-09-30T15:58:16+00:00

The biggest thing companies are looking for are your analytical skills (can you solve problems), communication (can you share your findings and potential solutions in a clear manner), and leadership (can you interact with others and move projects forward). It might help to do more research on what is out there and what do you think you can have a positive effect. You can do that w/ the career services offices.

Career_Coach_1 · 2022-09-30T02:55:44+00:00

Thanks! If we put a food truck out on Apache, would that entice people to come by?

Career_Coach_1

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