Marriott School Clubs Prepare Students for Internships

PROVO, Utah – Jan 09, 2015 – A top internship can jump-start a career, and the Marriott School’s clubs are putting students on track to land the jobs they want. By providing training and experience in networking, interviewing and writing résumés, clubs are helping students prepare for their professional experiences.  

One program that kicks off this month is the Finance Society’s Underclassmen Academy, sponsored in conjunction with the finance department. The six-week-long program is aimed at freshmen and sophomores interested in careers in finance.

“Finance internships tend to be extremely competitive, so the academy maximizes students’ opportunities,” says Sam Andersen, co-president of the Finance Society. “Sophomores who participate can expect to gain the technical and social knowledge necessary to leverage their summer months into successful internships in their junior year.”

Last year about 180 students participated in the academy, which begins with a general session about careers in finance and then splits into different sections focusing on fields such as investment banking, corporate finance and markets. Classes are held weekly and are taught by finance juniors who have found success after going through the academy.

Adam O’Brien, a finance senior from Holladay, Utah, participated in the academy both his freshman and sophomore years and taught the class on investment banking last year. He says the classes help students know how to be competitive in the job market.

“The most important thing I learned was the amount of work it takes to break into investment banking,” says O’Brien, who will take a position at Lazard after graduation. “Once I understood what I would have to do, it was easy to get the help I needed with my résumé, interview preparation and networking. Students who put in the work and follow the advice will be so much better prepared to get a critical internship.”

Colbrin Wright, associate chair of the finance department, says the program’s teachers are well informed and will do all they can to help students succeed in finance. 

“It’s the best preparation to have you ready to go at the beginning of your junior year, both for internships and for the finance program itself,” he says.

Students interested in the Underclassmen Academy can attend the kickoff meeting on Tuesday, January 20, at 7 p.m. in 151 TNRB.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.