This past summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics discovered new avenues for professional preparation and practical hands on experience. Lerner College students pursued an array of remote, in person or hybrid internships, externships and other professional development opportunities. From MBA scholars to undergraduates entering their second year at UD, students across a spectrum of Lerner programs shared their experiences accomplishing an assortment of projects.
Each profile of our “My Summer Internship” series will provide a glimpse into one of these unique experiences and how students applied knowledge from their studies to be successful in the real-world.
Josiah Hanson, Class of 2023, finance major with a minor in economics, spent his summer as a mergers and acquisitions summer analyst at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Hanson: I have always been interested in doing investment banking based on how dynamic it is and how much business knowledge you gain in such a short amount of time. After preparing, I applied to the Bank of America and through the preparation from Lerner Careers on Wall Street I was able to secure the position.
Lerner: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Hanson: Any type of relevant work on live deals is full of learning. I personally believe that the most important skill that I learned and gained from the internship was how to be a concise, consistent, and responsive communicator. When being on live deals, typically there were tight timelines for tasks so being able to deliver accurate and fast information was a skill that will prove to be resourceful as I move forward in my career.
Lerner: What is the most exciting task or project that you have done or are currently doing in your role?
Hanson: The most exciting task I was assigned this summer was keeping track of the NDA’s during the early stages of a sell-side M&A process. Through this, I got great senior visibility and was able to really develop my technical and soft skills in Excel and when communicating with my team.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Hanson: With the role being very technical, accounting and finance knowledge continued to be utilized. Diving deep into the course work enhanced the insight that I gained from the role and also contributed to my value as an intern being able to perform financial analyses and provide informed opinions.
Lerner: How do you think this internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Hanson: This internship set me up to join the team full time next year where I will be around different types of transactions across many different sectors. The knowledge that I will gain from the role will be a great stepping stone as I look to either move up within the firm or pivot to other areas within finance.
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Hanson: Because the investment banking program is very structured across different banks, there was a lot of information on the internet about recruiting and application timelines. All I really had to do was abide by the recruitment outline and application deadlines as well as staying prepared for interviews.
Lerner: What are your career plans once your internship ends?
Hanson: After the internship is over I will be rejoining the team as a full-time analyst and utilize the time in the first two years of the program to gain experience through real-world deals and various types of business analysis.