I got a prestigious internship at an investment bank. 4500 applicants applied for 100 intern spots so I’m proud that I was able to land one.
Can I mention the fact that 4500 people applied for 100 spots on my common app?
Should I include the banking internship as an EC on the common app?
Will mentioning that I got a investment banking internship benefit my application if the university isn’t really known for having a banking culture?
I’m applying for transfer but for political science so I don’t know if it would hurt to include that EC.
Were you paid? Then it was a paid internship and is something you put on your resume along with all of your other work experience. Was it unpaid? Then you put it in your resume and note that it was an unpaid internship. In either case, in your resume you would include a description of your responsibilities during the internship. There is no need to report how many applicants there were for the position.
@happymomof1@intparent Ok. I’m not going to put it on the app. But can I ask my recommender if he could somehow include it to demonstrate a personal quality? For example, if he says I’m hard-working and perseverant, he could link it to me attending every single banking networking event, dinner etc, using LinkedIn like crazy to contact every banking alumni from my school (there are a lot) and then talk about me landing one of 100 spots from 4500 applicants.
If your recommender was your internship supervisor, then yes it is appropriate for that person to discuss your performance. If your recommender is an academic instructor, then there is no reason for him/her to discuss what you did to get an internship. An academic recommendation is about how smart and diligent a student you are, not about your super networking powers.
I have no idea why you wouldn’t put it on your app. Even liberal college admissions depts won’t ding you for having the internship. I just wouldn’t say how many applicants.
And outside recommendations for admissions aren’t super helpful. You need academic recommendations.
But I noticed that academic recommenders have to tick about how they’ve contributed to the university community. Surely that’s not just academic then? My logic is that it can’t really hurt if my recommender includes it and is happy too. I don’t think it’ll harm in any way if he does mention it as another example.
My recommender will have to talk about my contribution to the university, right? Not just purely academics in the classroom, right? Or have I not understood the purpose of an academic letter of recommendation.
You worked a network to get one spot for yourself. While not a small thing by any means, it is not a contribution to your college/university community. Organizing a banking club for finance majors that runs an annual series of well-attended seminars would be a contribution to the community.
If your recommender knows that your energy and focus led to your successfully landing an internship, and if your recommender decides that it is worth mentioning this example of your high level of drive along with other things that the recommender knows about you and thinks will help your application, well then that is up to the recommender. Let your rcommender do his/her job. Chances are that your recommender has written many such letters over the years and has a good handle on how to write a good one for you.
You’re making this confusing. Two issues: including the experience, and whether to mention how competitiv
e it was. When you mention “it” or speak of a “recommender,” it’s not clear which.
The internship is good, put it on your app as an activity. Adcoms will appreciate that a competitive org chose you. That’s about it. This isn’t a contribution to the U, if it was for an investment bank.
Your academic recommenders write about your academics, foremost. If you choose to have an addl LoR from the employer, that person can say what she or he wishes.
But the value is YOU as an individual on the job, what’s relevant to the college. Not just that you got selected.
@lookingforward that’s why I wanted him to include how competitive it was, because he could say that the skills that I used to get the internship, I also use in my academic career about being incredibly driven, perseverant and never giving up etc.
The fact 4500 people applied and you were one of 100 who were selected is notable. I don’t know why it shouldn’t be mentioned. If you do not want to directly mention it then maybe to provide a link to the internship so the AOs could understand the selection process.
Your college application is your MARKETING material. Make it the best it could be. Don’t assume AOs understand importance of each program.
My kids made sure they mentioned how competitive their summer programs were on their application.I would not leave it to others to mention it in their LOR.
“that’s why I wanted him to include how competitive…”
Again, which recommender is this? Have you served this yet? If so, the internship folks can mention it.
If you haven’t taken on the position yet, have not experienced it, do you feel it’s some tip to tell a college like Stanford or Harvard how competitive it is? That otherwise, they wouldn’t recognize that? (Want to mention the name?)
You make your own best decision. First task is to know all you can about what they do want. With that, you’d have a stronger basis to make some of the decisions you asked about.
Those two are so competitive for transfers, you need to be on your game.
I mean it’s not Goldman Sachs but it’s a short internship at a tier 1 bulge bracket firm (JPMorgan/MS).
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If you haven’t taken on the position yet, have not experienced it, do you feel it’s some tip to tell a college like Stanford or Harvard how competitive it is? That otherwise, they wouldn’t recognize that? (Want to mention the name?)
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They’d probably recognise it, but not realize how competitive it is. Well, it’s competitive but misleading because the same 4000-5000 applicants apply to every bank (kinda like college now that I think about it).
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Those two are so competitive for transfers, you need to be on your game.
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Lol. That’s why I’m asking so many questions because I’m just worried that it comes off as pretentious if my recommender talks about it.
To put it in perspective, most of my friends applied for it and have got rejected. Most ‘normal’ people would be impressed by it but ‘adcoms’ probably see internships like that on a daily basis.
I’ve got a lot to consider now that I think about it.
@Publisher can I ask why they wouldn’t care? Surely getting an internship is a good thing because I see so many people complaining about being ‘back office’ or not getting internships?
IB internships are tough to get. Why not just name the firm/bank & list your position.
Why you want to transfer is relevant as are your qualifications. If you mention those numbers, they are meaningless.
I would be equally impressed if you were a volunteer dog catcher in a garbage dump if that was your passion & you did a good job. Not relevant whether anyone else wanted to catch stray dogs running among waste.
First of all, I’ll be surprised if they don’t know enough about the programs JPM offers. There’ll be kids before you who got one of these and adcoms at tippy tops aren’t unaware.
The first place to learn more about a college target is from the colleges themselves, what they say and show. Then you get a better idea which “you” to present. It’s more than being “incredibly driven,” (don’t let that bite you. The tippy tops are looking for academic top performance, but also kids who fit in the community, in various ways, outside class or major-related.)
I have no idea how prepared you are for those targets. If you’re really a poli sci person, you’d need solid poli sci experience/activities, etc. Then, the bank work is a bit of icing, not a negative.
If, by recommender, you mean a present prof, he or she could mention the internship and that they hear how competitve it is.
I want you to make your own, best, most informed decision. Definitely include the internship in Activities. Possibly leave the “competitive” comments to the prof.
You can mention, briefly, in Addl Info, that of 4500, 100 are selected. Maybe location and title. But cautiously. There’s a fine line here. You really need to ensure you understand, as fully as possible, what those colleges want.
I missed Publisher’s comments, we cross posted, but agree. It’s a good thing, but making too much of your “win” is iffy.
“Experience & accomplishments & goals are relevant.” Yes, the substance. The work you did (and I get the impression this is upcoming, not yet done.) Not that dog catcher would tip you in…
There’s a fine line between being agog that you got something and presenting it with confidence. Not too much, not too little, just right. For undergrad, we often say to leave the outright brags to the GC.
Just about anyone who’s anyone in admissions understands how competitive these internships can be. The standards for some start lower, but the volume of applicants is so high.