An MBA internship: why do it

By Namratha Shetty

Best decision ever!!!

Unlike a two-year MBA, one-year MBA programmes don’t always afford candidates an opportunity to pursue a summer internship. A one-year MBA is packed and HOW! Before you can feel all nice and cozy about your studies and the hectic schedule – BAM! It’s over.

Having gone through perhaps the most testing 5 months of my life searching for the right career opportunity post-MBA, I have come to value a few things:

1. The summer internship option at Saïd Business School
2. My experience at the company where I did my internship, and my managers/mentors
3. My ability to stay focused and plan accordingly that ensured I chose to do a summer internship in the first place

Okay, let me put this in context. The one-year, full-time MBA program at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford gives its students four options for the summer i.e.  July, August (of all the months they choose these two months when the sun ACTUALLY comes out, to send us away!). Anyway, the options are:

1. Strategic Consulting Project (SCP)
2. Two in-class electives/courses
3. Thesis
4. Internship

Strangely though – the internship is the ONLY option that is not given credits. Students, who pursue an internship, have to come back in September to take up two additional, pre-decided courses over a two-week period to earn two credits to complete their MBA. Trust me! It was awful to stay back when 90% of my class had left Oxford after the week-long farewell celebrations.

So, why do I still love that I undertook an internship? Here are my 3 reasons:

1. I experienced first-hand how the FMCG industry worked and what a marketing team in FMCG did. I knew I wanted a post-MBA marketing career in FMCG and the internship made sure I knew what I was getting into, especially since my prior experience was in IT Marketing.

2. My internship at one of India’s best FMCG companies beautifully weaved together my pre-MBA experience and MBA learning, and added so much more to my professional and personal development.

A huge role was played by my mentor and project guide as:

1. They took the time to create a valuable project and guide me every step of the way.
2. They gave me the freedom to manage and execute my project, and advised me when I could do things differently and better.
3. They included me in every team and agency meeting to give me a glimpse into the day-to-day life of an FMCG marketer, even when some meetings weren’t related to my project.
5 Minute GMAT Score Predictor
4. They inspired me with their approach, thinking and leadership.
5. They, most importantly, and perhaps unknowingly, set the bar really high for me, and challenged me to be better than the best I thought I could be.

I know I came back from the internship a different person – more confident, more capable, and more determined than before.

3. When I returned to India post the MBA and met people at different FMCG companies, I was in a position to speak sincerely, knowledgably and passionately about why I wanted to join the FMCG industry. My story, in my opinion, was more believable and credible. The proof was in the pudding.

Thinking back on the year gone by and what it took to achieve my goal, the additional two weeks of class and money spent to stay back in Oxford feels like small price to pay. And thanks to an incredible internship experience – my dream is finally coming true. This April, I finally begin my career in FMCG in Digital Marketing!!!

Contributing blogger Namratha Shetty graduated from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in 2013. Her ambition is to be in the FMCG industry. She is a dreamer and believes in the motto – ‘Persevere to the end’. Prior to the MBA, Namratha had 5.5 years of work experience at Dell of which, 3.5 years was in Marketing. Reach out to her at at namratha.shetty@mba2012.sbs.oxford.edu