INT 499 – Internship Program – Students

Winner of 2019 Outstanding College Work Experience & Internship Program Award
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INT 499 – Internship in Major Field / ACC 499 – Accounting Internship is a 6-unit course (commonly referred to as the “internship program”). It is a graduation requirement for business majors, and is an elective for psychology majors.

Read the Internship Student Manual – 2021 for a complete program overview.

Below are the timelines and program details. Please note that the specific internship dates align with the Internship Seminar Course that all students participating in the program must enroll in while completing their internship.

Credit Options	Time Frame	Hours on Site	Academic Standing
6 units	Summer	280+ hours (28+ hours per week for 10 weeks)	Rising Senior
6 units	Fall and Spring	280+ hours (12-13 hours per week for two semesters)	Senior

Upcoming Internship Cohort Dates

Academic Year 2020-2021: September 14, 2020 – April 23, 2021
Summer 2021 – Session 1: May 24 – July 30
Summer 2021 – Session 2: June 7 – August 13
Summer 2021 – ACC 499: Contact Professor Janis Zaima at janis.zaima@menlo.edu

Joining an Internship Cohort

You can enroll in INT 499 / ACC 499 only once you have completed your junior year (typically a minimum of 80-90 units). INT 499 is offered twice per year and ACC 499 is offered once per year (see dates above).

Only accounting students who secure internships at one of these firms will join the ACC 499 cohort: Armanino, BPM, Deloitte, EY, Frank, Rimerman, KPMG, Moss Adams, PwC, RSM, Seiler, Sensiba San Filippo, Shea Labagh Dobberstein.

For more information about internships at these firms and the ACC 499 cohort, email Professor Janis Zaima (janis.zaima@menlo.edu).

To join an intern󠄠ship cohort and fulfill the internship requirement, you must successfully complete each of the steps below.

󠄠󠄠󠄠1.󠄠 INTERNSHIP INFORMATION SESSION
Required
The first step to participating in the internship program is to attend an internship information session. Sign up for one in Handshake »

2. INTERNSHIP APPLICATION FORM
Required | Pre-requisite: Attending the information session
Students who complete the information session and decide to participate in the internship program must complete the application form in order to officially join the upcoming cohort.

3. INDIVIDUAL KICK-OFF MEETING
Required | Pre-requisite: Attending the information session
All students must schedule an individual meeting with a member of the Career Services team to review their resume, to update their Handshake profile, and to have a general discussion of each student’s goals. Schedule a kick-off meeting in Handshake »

󠄠4. RESUME APPROVAL
Required | Pre-requisite: Scheduling an individual kick-off meeting
Students must have their resume approved before uploading to Handshake to ensure competitiveness. Don’t have a resume? Download the Menlo College Guide to Resumes and Cover Letters or use Menlo College’s online resume builder (powered by Indeed.com).

6󠄠. COMPLETE A MOCK INTERVIEW
Required | Pre-requisite: Individual kick-off meeting
Each fall, employer volunteers come to Menlo College to conduct mock interviews with students. Students who complete steps 1-4 will be invited to complete a mock interview.

7󠄠. APPLY TO INTERNSHIPS
Required | Pre-requisite: Resume approval
The average student will apply to more than 100 internships before securing one. The College will not place you in an internship or assign you an internship. It is your responsibility to secure an internship.

8󠄠. INTERNSHIP CONFIRMATION FORM
Required | Pre-requisite: Internship offer received
When a student receives an internship offer, they must notify the Director of Internships and ask for the Internship Confirmation Form. Upon completing this form, the Director of Internships will contact the student’s supervisor to confirm the internship meets all for-credit eligibility requirements.

󠄠10. INTERNSHIP REGISTRATION FORM (aka ZingTree questionnaire)
Required for summer cohort only
Summer Cohort: There are six (6) different ways to register for the internship program. Students must complete the Internship Registration Form and meet with their academic adviser to confirm the registration option (section and term) that is best for their situation. Students can do this step even if they have not secured their internship.

Academic Year Cohort: Students will be registered for three (3) units in the fall and three (3) units in the spring. Students participating in the AY Cohort cannot defer units.

A deferral fee will be applied if a student chooses to defer credits. This fee is non-refundable.

1󠄠1. CPT AUTHORIZATION & SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN)
Required for students on F-1 visa
For students on an F-1 visa, they must request authorization for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) from a Designated School Official (DSO). To request authorization, the student must provide an internship offer letter typed on company letterhead. Students cannot begin working without authorization.

Internships can be either paid or unpaid. If the internship is paid, international students must apply for a Social Security Number.

The CPT DSO is Dylan Houle: dylan.houle@menlo.edu.

󠄠12. SEMINAR SESSION & CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Required
Students will be assigned a session (Session I is May to July and Session II is June to August) and a class (either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening) based on their internship start date. Registering for the internship program is separate from being assigned a session and class.

Preparing for Your Internship

What steps are you taking to build out your resume to ensure you are competitive with your peers? Here are some points to consider:

Maintain a high GPA – Competitive internships often require a 3.0 and higher.
Get involved – Employers want to hire well-rounded students who demonstrate initiative, curiosity and leadership in and out of the classroom. Join or start a student club, run for office in student government, and volunteer locally.
Attend Career Services events – Each year, our office hosts workshops, guest speakers, company tours, and an annual career fair. View all events here.
Gain work experience – Prior work and/or internship experience is one of the most important factors in any employers’ decision making process. Use your summer and winter breaks to gain work and/or internship experience. View all internships and jobs here.
Start networking – Create a LinkedIn profile to connect with your professors and classmates and Menlo College alumni. Want to learn more about a specific company or career path? Request an informational interview with someone in your network.

To meet with a career adviser, schedule an appointment in Handshake »

Resources for Your Internship Search

Individual advising – Discuss your career goals and job search strategy with a career adviser
Handshake – Jobs and events exclusively for Menlo College students
Guide to Resumes and Cover Letters and Guide to Interviewing – Samples, examples, tips and templates
Online Job & Internship Boards – Handshake is just one of many places online to search for internships
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Resources for various identity groups
Accounting Firms Directory – List of accounting firms’ sophomore and junior year internships
Fortune 500 Internship Programs Directory – List of internship programs at Fortune 500 companies
Career & Personality Self-Assessments – List of free or low-cost self-assessment and career exploration tools

Confirming an Internship for Academic Credit

There are many ways to find an internship, and students are encouraged to use all available resources to search for them. However, before a student can start an internship, it must first be reviewed and confirmed for academic credit by the Internships & Career Services team. Students should not accept any internship offer until it has been confirmed for credit by ICS.

To ensure that an internship is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship, Menlo College has adopted the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) criteria for a quality internship:

The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
There are clearly defined learning objectives and goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
There is supervision by a professional with expertise and an educational or professional background in the field of the experience.
There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
There are resources, equipment and facilities provided by the host employer that support the learning objectives and goals.

ICS will not approve for academic credit any internship that is:

Located in a non-approved U.S. state. (Menlo College is not able to offer academic credit for internships completed in certain states)
Located in a non-commercial office or non-professional setting (e.g., home offices, cafes) *Remote internships OK while coronavirus distance education waivers are in effect*
In a family-owned business or in an organization where a family member is supervising you or is in a position of authority over you
In an organization where you have previously volunteered, interned, or worked (Some exceptions can be made; contact the program administrator to learn more)
Incompatible or not aligned with the internship seminar schedule
Does not meet the 280 total hours on-site requirement
On-campus

About the Internship Seminar

The internship seminar meets weekly during the summer and bi-monthly during fall and spring semesters. The seminar will meet in the evenings to accommodate internship work schedules.

As part of the internship, you will create a Learning Plan that will help you gain knowledge and skills specific to your major, interests and internship organization. As a participant in the internship seminar, you will gain knowledge and skills that are valuable to leaders in any organizational setting. At the end of the internship experience, interns will be able to:

Create goals that are specific and measurable in order to develop lifelong learning strategies
Analyze the fit between an organization and its structure, human resource strategies, resources and culture, and external environment
Present organizational issues in a succinct, clear and persuasive way
Clarify career interests and goals
Articulate achievements and new skills and knowledge gained through the internship

Internship Opportunities

Since the Internship Program’s inception in 2014, more than 800 students have completed internships at hundreds of different companies and not-for-profits, everywhere from YouTube and the Forty-Niners to the American Red Cross and the City of Menlo Park.

Visit the Menlo College alumni directory to see where our students are interning and working today.