Harvard Business School will host mixers for college students this summer in Houston, San Francisco, and Chicago. Meet current MBA students and learn about how you can engage with HBS as an undergrad through HBS’s College Programs
HOUSTON on June 8 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at The Cannon West – Register Here
SAN FRANCISCO on June 22 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at Pilot.com, Inc. – Register Here
CHICAGO on Wednesday, Jul 19 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at Bain & Company – Register Here
Check-in will begin at 6:00 p.m. Food will be provided.
CCI is thrilled to announce that we have been selected as the host for this year’s Small College Career Alliance (SCCA) conference. It’s been months of planning, and we can’t wait to meet up with our peers in person for the first time since 2019!
As we gear up for the conference, we want to inform you that our office will be closed from Monday, May 22 to Wednesday, May 24. During these days, our team will be at Basin Harbor, fully engaged in the conference activities.
But don’t worry, we’ll be back to our regular schedule on Thursday, May 25th, eager to assist you with all your career-related needs. If you have any questions or need guidance during our absence, please reach out to us via email.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we step off campus for a few days. We look forward to returning with new insights and ideas to enhance your career journey.
Are you interning in-person or virtually for a Washington, DC based organization? Well this program could be for you. Open to all students of any major, in any industry, not just politics or government.
Each student enrolled is assigned an alumni mentor in their chosen industry. You can learn about different skills and career paths and build relationships to help with your future. The program consists of in-person or virtual one-on-one meetings with your alumni mentor as well as in-person or virtual workshops and panel discussions. Space is limited.
Congratulations! You found an internship. Here comes the fun part.
Internships are a great way to practice being an adult: you get to manage your life in the way you choose, decide what career areas to explore, and work alongside professionals in your chosen field. However, this newfound flexibility can be an adjustment, and navigating it for the first or second time can be a challenge. Here, I give ten easy-to-follow tips in order to ensure you have a successful summer internship.
Set Goals
Goal setting is a tool that you will take with you throughout your life. At the beginning of your internship, it is important to establish some guidelines and specific goals that you hope to accomplish over the summer. Having concrete goals in mind will increase the likelihood they will be completed and will improve your overall satisfaction with your internship experience. Write your goals down and be sure to revisit them periodically over the summer to see if you are on target or if your goals change based on what you are learning.
Say “Yes”
During your summer, there will be moments when you can take on more responsibility. Take the initiative and say “yes.” Even though summer is a time to relax and wind down from the hectic school year, challenging yourself in a work setting is important when learning about yourself outside of a school setting. The more you say “yes,” the more experience you will have in the field. With that said, do not take on more work than you are able, but try your best to challenge yourself without sacrificing your emotional or physical well-being.
Communicate with your Supervisor
Last summer, one of my friends interned at a nursing home. After working there for two days, she was placed on a project that she did not enjoy and realized that she was dreading her work. With her advisor, she discussed alternative projects that she could work on, and her advisor accommodated her.
In this case, my friend’s internship was flexible and she was able to pivot projects. This may not necessarily be the case with everyone’s role, so it’s important to “read the room,” and assess how/if you can change things up if your experience is not meeting your expectations. The key takeaway here is to communicate with your supervisor – about what you want to learn, if you want more responsibility, when things are challenging for you, or if you need help.
Manage your time wisely
There may be a point in your internship where you feel like you have too much on your plate. Communicate with your supervisor and ask how to best prioritize your time and follow their advice. Try making a schedule and keep yourself accountable for sticking to it.
Be a sponge.
As a college student, there is so much you can learn outside of the classroom; after all, that’s why internships exist! Different roles have different levels of responsibility, but no matter the context, try to soak everything up. Be a sponge. Go to every meeting you are invited to and if your supervisor doesn’t think to invite you, ask if there are certain meetings you could attend, so you can learn more. Take in the environment and the way the coworkers interact with each other. Eventually, you will want to ask yourself: is this the kind of environment I aspire to work in? Am I motivated by this work?
Bring your unique experiences and perspectives to the table.
Everyone has something unique to bring to the table – whether that is a special aptitude or skill, a unique perspective, or an ability to communicate with ease. When possible, try to bring your strengths and perspectives to the table. This will allow you to feel confident in your contributions to the internship and will leave a lasting impression.
Keep track of your projects.
Summer is a hectic time when so many things are going on. Try to take some time to reflect and note all of the progress you have made on all of your work. This will allow you to remember all of the progress you made this summer and will make it easier to talk about it when it comes to future interviews.
Talk to everyone.
Networking: How frightening! In practice, networking does not have to seem as daunting as you may initially think. It is important to maintain good relationships with those with whom you work – may that be coworkers, advisors, or even people working in other divisions of the organization. Internships are a fantastic opportunity to meet people and make long-lasting business connections.
Ask your supervisor or other contacts for a quick 10-15 minute conversation about their paths. While it is possible they may not respond or have time, many people love passing on their wisdom and enjoy speaking about themselves.
Say “Thank You”.
A lot of work and time went into mentoring you and preparing for your internship. Once your work is winding down, make sure you give proper thanks to those who helped you most. This could mean something as simple as a thank you note, or even buying them a small gift to express your gratitude.
Keep in touch!
Keep in touch with your supervisor, your coworkers, and other employees to follow along on the progress of your project. This will allow you to speak about it more concretely in interviews and you can see the lasting impacts of your work.
By Noel Ermer
Noel Ermer ‘23 is a senior at Middlebury College studying Biochemistry and Spanish. During her time at Middlebury, she has received two summer funding grants and has worked for the CCI since May 2020. After graduating, Noel will be moving to the DC area to work as a management consultant analyst at Accenture Federal Services.
Join us today for a special episode featuring Leah Bracken ‘19, customer engineer at Google, as she shares her insights on the expanding cloud solutions market. Gain valuable knowledge from her experience as a solutions engineer and learn how a liberal arts education can prepare you for success in this field. Find out what skillsets are necessary for entering this technical role. Don’t miss out!
Exploring Careers in Technology’s New Frontiers is a collaborative series developed by the Center for Careers and Internships and Middlebury in DC with content contribution from members of the Middlebury Professional Network and Middlebury students.
Every two years, the college participates in the Enrolled Student Survey focusing on the college experiences of students. This is a national survey that is distributed to students in some of our peer institutions across the country. We invite you to participate and complete the survey as candidly as possible. Your responses are anonymous and will not be linked back to you. Your responses can greatly help us in enhancing many of Middlebury’s current programs, services, and initiatives and provide valuable information around possible gaps in support and critical student needs. The survey is voluntary and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. You may answer as few or as many questions as you wish.
Since the survey link is personalized to you you can find the survey link in a message sent directly to you on 4/20/23 with the subject lineReminder: Tell us about your Middlebury experience.
The survey is made up of several short sections followed by some demographic questions. The first section asks you to evaluate Middlebury. You’re then ask about various aspects of your experiences here—about your interactions with faculty and advisors, about how much you’ve learned, and about some of your experiences in and out of the classroom as a student and as a member of the campus community. Your answers are very important to us — students collective response provides the foundation for important institutional decisions on ways to improve in the years to come.
Remember your responses will be completely confidential, so please be candid. Survey results will not be reported in any form that would identify an individual. Your participation is very important and greatly appreciated!
ECO AmeriCorps is a 9-year-old program operating in communities across the state at local organizations. Program participants engage in a variety of topics that may include science communication, sustainable agriculture, climate resiliency and creating greater access to the natural world. ECO AmeriCorps members complete an 11-month term of service and are well-supported. Members benefits include gaining access to professional networks and training, an education award, health coverage and a living stipend. Being an ECO member also gives them the opportunity to explore areas of interest, build connections and gain confidence necessary to propel a career.
