Top 50 Internships For 2015

Published: Oct 28, 2014

Topics: Education Grad School Internships Job Search MBA

Earlier this year, Vault invited more than 500 organizations to participate in our annual Internship Experience Survey. The survey asked current and former interns to comment on and rate their internship experiences on a variety of factors. This year, we heard from 5,800 interns who reviewed 100 different internship programs. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, respondents were asked to rate their internship experiences in five areas: quality of life, compensation and benefits, interview process, career development, and full-time employment prospects. These ratings were averaged to determine an overall score for each program. Vault then compiled rankings of the top internship programs in eight categories, including best overall internship. And here are this year's winners (along with a direct quote by one of the firm's former interns):

Best Overall Internship: Bates White Summer Consultant Program
"I honestly think you would be hard-pressed to find a better internship program, no matter your field of study. This internship makes use of a balanced skill set (both quantitative and qualitative skills). You will learn (or improve upon) a number of valuable and marketable skills. You will make a meaningful contribution to the firm's work. And Bates White provides its interns with numerous social events and outings. The pay is also great."

Best Accounting Internship: Elliot Davis ENVISION
"The experience gained from this internship is parallel to none. Elliott Davis doesn't make you go out and get coffee or make copies or do any of the other jobs that don't give you accounting experience. Instead, Elliott Davis throws you into the world of accounting with staff level work that you will be doing when you get out of college, which is what all college graduates need in an internship."

Best Consulting Internship: Bates White Summer Consultant Program
"I loved being able to work on challenging, complicated, real world issues, while developing valuable quantitative skills that are transferable to nearly any career path. I was surrounded by a diverse and well-rounded group of interns, as well as amazingly helpful, bright, and welcoming coworkers. We also were given impressive access to upper management."

Best Energy Internship: Anadarko Petroleum Summer Internship Program
"The people that we had the opportunity to work with were so knowledgeable and easy to relate to, and this made coming into work each day an absolute joy. The projects we were given to complete provided real value to the company, and we were allowed to complete them in our own way, while still knowing that our mentors were available and more than happy to help us."

Best Financial Services Internship: Northwestern Mutual Internship
"The training is fantastic. Learning about such important topics like financial planning, budget analysis, and running a business can't be replaced. Whether or not interns go full time with the company, they'll be better people and more employable after the internship. The office culture is fantastic as well. I love the competitive nature. Everyone wants to succeed as badly as they want to breathe, but they also want to see others succeed."

Best Investment Banking Internship: Evercore Advisory Summer Analyst and Associate Program
"Firm culture was absolutely amazing—no face time and no senseless work. Junior employees (interns, analysts, and associates) were all very willing to help cover each other's work when conflicts came up. There's just a huge collaborative atmosphere at work, so over the summer I was never worried about 'competing' with other interns. And I definitely see how this culture really flows through the entire firm."

Best Media & Telecommunications Internship: AT&T Finance Leadership Program
"The support I received from my supervisor and colleagues was amazing. Even people who didn't work on my team were very invested in my success and helped me in any way they could. My supervisor really made sure I was ready for the end-of-the-internship presentation/interview by having me practice my presentation in front of my team, the assistant vice president, and even other departments. I learned so much during my internship that I didn't even expect to. I also really liked that there were six other interns in my group as well as about 20 general management interns that I got to know, collaborate with, and form friendships with."

Best Retail & Consumer Products Internship: Kohl's Information Technology Internship
"Having 100-plus interns living together in apartment dorms makes it easy for you to find a group of people who become your closest friends. The work problems you are assigned as an intern are challenging, but the resources around you provide you with the tools to effectively solve them. Something that people don't realize is that Kohl's is an end-to-end IT shop. From planning to implementation, Kohl's will give you the opportunity to work in a wide area of IT (infrastructure, application development, etc.)."

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