Pre-MBA internship

I'm trying to work something like this out as we speak, so I know it's definitely do-able. However, I've been in business roles since I graduated college. I'm sure if you have the right connections, you can find someone to give you an internship.

I think (economy/job market permitting) Pre-MBA Internship is a great idea for people without specific industry experience for their dream job after bschool. If you have the experience on your resume (before the school publishes their resume book etc), then not only can you impress potential recruiting company reps on your interest in the industry, they might be less skeptical due to your inexperience in that field.

I did a pre-MBA internship in healthcare (biopharma) before starting school this year. I thought it was a great experience. I was previously in academics and hadn't worked in any proper industry before, so the internship was really valuable. And I was still able to finish up at the end of July and take ~six weeks off before school started

If you decide to do this, you should be aware that you'll need to leverage your existing connections. Most schools know that there's a fair amount of school-switching (waitlist movement, etc.) through the summer, so you probably won't get access to job and alumni boards until at least the beginning of summer (and possibly much later), far past the deadlines for any internship gig. And despite having "X Business School, Class of 2011" at the top, your resume isn't likely to get much attention when submitted cold via a website. Last year I submitted resumes to 10-12 companies via websites without any preexisting connections; I didn't get a phone call or email from any of 'em. I was much more successful with the resumes I submitted via people I knew.

I'm trying to work something like that out myself. For how long are you thinking of working? 6-8 weeks?





That's really good to know terry12 - thanks!!

One thing to remember is this year is very tough economically for many companies. Some are actually cutting back on their internships for students so I think finding a company willing to hire you before you really have even taken any classes is going to be challenging. This year the internship market is worse than in the past. With the tight market there are going to be students at lots of schools scrambling for jobs this year...especially at schools that had weaker recruiting historically. While it may be possible to get a pre-MBA internship, if you do it wont pay much or it will be with a company doing what you are doing now. I know a few consulting people who did pre-MBA internships but directly related to their previous experiences.

Thanks Terry and Ninkorn. AC 6-8 weeks is decent I guess.

Even if it is with a similar company, wouldn't it be useful to get into the business side of things.

anyone have any luck with this yet?

I am trying to get one with a VC fund. I have a strong lead but it is all through connections. I have tried to contact headhunters that I knew but no luck whatsoever.

The internship would barely pay my cost, so I have to make sure I can leave my fulltime job. Though, I think that's definitely worth it, even if I am cash flow negative...

I'm currently trying to do this myself, as my volunteer service ends in May and 3 months seems a bit long to just chill out. I've also done a ton of traveling the past couple years which kind of rules that out though it is my backup plan. Company websites by themselves are basically useless. It's kind of a catch-22 because I think the main reason you could sell a company on yourself for a pre-MBA internship is if you were highly interested in a mid-MBA internship/post-MBA fulltime work there as well.....but most of the 'choice' companies (M/B/B for consultants etc) that youd want to do that for have already filled their slots.

I remember my undergrad summers of 01 and 02 when internships had gone down, it was very much a 'just in time' market, where a lot of places wouldn't know how much funding they had for internships until April and therefore couldn't hire anyone until then. Persistence will pay off.

What about doing 20 hours per week in an unpaid internship and using the rest of your time to make money? Iwould like to have some experience inother industry world before heading to school in the fall so I can have something other than my current experience on my resume. Ideally, I would get in to a great school, quit my job almost immediately, do free-lance work (maybe make a few K per month doing this), and do a part-time internship. Is this a good idea?

Oh 1 more thing. Not actually having paid my deposit at a school yet is a huge PITA, a lot of these places want proof you are actually a student, I've been sending copies of my Duke acceptance letter with mixed results.

I've gotten two offers -- one for PE and one for i-banking. Got both of these through connections.

I traveled for almost 5 months before my MBA started last September. It was a fantastic experience, but in hindsight I kind of regret not having done a pre-MBA internship (well a year ago, nobody knew things would turn this bad). If you're planning on a career switch I think a pre-MBA internship would be a fantastic thing (even if it's unpaid). Definitely makes you more competitive during summer internship recruiting. If u don't have access to your school's career services or directory yet, try your interviewer/assigned mentor, any other fellow admits you've connected with, and of course any other personal connections you might have. Good luck.

Have you been cold calling companies, or using contacts from your personal network?

I would say 80% pursuing contacts 20% cold-calling (moreso cold-website-resume-submitting).

So I am happy to report that I just got my Tech VC internship offer that begins from March to July (with further option for Summer internship after my 1st year based on my exit-evaluation). I am especially thrilled about this opportunity because they don't even usually have summer interns from bschool, especially in tough times like this. They usually hire their associates via recommendation only.

I will be assigned to one of their companies (currently in their portfolio) in software/application development. I've been working as Risk Services Application Solution Architect at my current company for only about a year now. So I am both excited about this opportunity and also little nervous.

I guess I will give my 3 week notice to HR today.