Pre-MBA Internships
While many of you are just finishing or gearing up for your MBA applications, this post will become incredibly valuable for you as you consider your pre-MBA options next year. It's a great perspective by an incoming HBS Navy officer that adds to our previous pieces on pre-MBA plans:
Pre-MBA Industry Exploration Programs
Personally, I found my passion in technology and consumer marketing, so I took on opportunities from Google and Procter and Gamble this summer to explore those two sectors. However, here are a few great opportunities available for those interested in finance or consulting.
Finance
-Goldman Sachs Veterans Integration Program (Veteran-Specific): They select around 15 veterans with a minimum of one year of active-duty service for internships lasting eight weeks in New York and New Jersey offices.
-Credit Suisse MBA Military Boot Camp (Veteran-Specific): One-day conference covering career options in Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, and Private Banking.
-JP Morgan MBA Early Advantage (Veteran-Eligible): Two-day conference providing networking opportunities and training sessions for those interested in Investment Banking as post-MBA career.
Management Consulting
-Deloitte Consulting Immersion Program (Veteran-Eligible): Three-day all-expense-paid program learning about basics of management consulting and Deloitte culture. One of the key benefits to attending this program is that you can interview early for the Summer Associate role for the following summer internship.
-McKinsey Emerging MBA Scholars (Veteran-Eligible): Brand new program put out this year to award scholarships ($2,000-$5,000) to top incoming MBA students and establish individual mentorship with current McKinsey consultants. One catch is that you must be admitted to one of their 'target schools,' which you can check the list on the website provided below.
Technology
Google Student Veterans Summit (Veteran-Specific): This July, I had the pleasure of attending a two-day, all-expense-paid summit put together by Google for attracting top veteran talents and introducing them to Google's core values of impact and collaboration. There is a devoted application process on Google website and admission is competitive. We had about 25 veterans attend, divided evenly between transitioning junior officers to MBA programs and former enlisted servicemembers pursuing bachelors degrees. The two days were jam-packed with extensive activities including, Tour of the Google Campus, Veterans Network Panel, Group Activity called 'Marshmallow Challenge' (which my team won!), Product Demo session, Resume Workshop, and a spread of very impressive guest speakers. We definitely embraced many perks of being a Googler, such as riding in the 'G-Bus' and marveling in the presence of micro-kitchens and their world-famous gratuitous cafeterias. Two of the biggest takeaway's that I had from this summit were one, having an honest, third-party feedback from a Google People Operations (HR) rep on further de-militarizing my resume, and two, learning about the Google MBA Internship application process which prompted me to think about my 'Googley' side as they certainly seem to have a knack for finding people with unique experiences and backgrounds. There is certainly a large, vibrant veteran community at the Googleplex and Google seems to be particularly fond of ex-servicemembers' ability to provide a smooth conduit through ambiguous situations. As expected from the company consistently ranked as #1 Employer MBA's want to Work For, I have nothing but absolutely positive comments from my two days at Google.
Marketing
Procter and Gamble Marketing MBA Summer Camp (Veteran-Eligible): If you are interested in a career in brand management, I highly recommend checking out P&G's marketing camp. It is a six-day, all-expense-paid program to potentially place incoming MBA students into their Assistant Brand Manager positions. Admission is again very competitive - they selected 37 campers from more than 700 applicants this year. For me, the most memorable aspect of the Brand Camp was how much the company leadership stressed 'doing the right thing' as a standard business practice. Coming from the military where honor, courage, and commitment defined our highest virtues, it was extremely refreshing to see such a large, civilian organization strive to ethically ground themselves to provide only the best for their consumers and employees. On another note, P&G took us to the best eateries and 'hot spots' of Cincinnati, which I will freely admit that it wasn't initially on my Top 5 places to settle post-MBA, but we all definitely came around to loving Cincinnati a bit more at the end. We also had a full day of shadowing a current Assistant Brand Manager, and I had a great time following around a former Army Captain and MBA graduate. Best of all, all 37 campers interviewed last day for a chance to come back the following summer for an internship position, and I'm very happy to have been extended an offer. I feel like I can tackle on the recruiting season without being overwhelmingly stressed and focus on finding companies that are a great match for me. For more information on the P&G Marketing Camp, see the website below.
Written by Sophi, a former Navy Officer starting HBS in the Fall of 2013.
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