Is a summer internship necessary in a one-year MBA?
17.05.12
INSEAD offers a ten-month MBA program rather than the traditional two-year program offered by schools such as Harvard, or Rotman. One of the benefits of choosing to attend INSEAD during the January to December promotion of INSEAD rather than the September to July promotion is a two month summer break. This break gives a student not only the opportunity to pursue a summer internship but also an opportunity to volunteer, travel, or just relax and spend time alone or with their families. There is no requirement by the school for the student to do anything during this time.
Out of the 495 students in my class at INSEAD who responded to a survey about their summer break, 56 per cent of the students found an internship opportunity and spent the summer working. This is a sharp contrast from Rotman, where, according to their career services website, 85 per cent of their students spent the summer working or Harvard where 100 per cent of their full time MBA students participated in internships. Interestingly, of the INSEAD students who did spend their summer working, overwhelmingly these students did not go to work for their former employer; 95 per cent of them decided to try something new.
Source: Globe and Mail