EY LLP

Enterprise Risk Consulting Intern

June - August 2021 • Boston, MA

What I liked

The people are very nice and really willing to help you succeed. I learned a lot and was able to gravitate towards things I liked more or wanted to learn more about. I was also able to complete strategy coursework in my free time, but there were several different options to choose from with certificate opportunities.

What I wish was different

It was hard coming out of COVID to have an internship. Many things were remote and networking had to be done by setting up meetings with people instead of casually meeting in the office. Ultimately there were a lot of challenges all companies had to face, and EY did it pretty well.

Advice

Network as much as you can!!! Everyone has a different view on the company and the roles they work in and it will help you find what you like or don't like. People are very willing to talk and help you so you should utilize it. In a remote working environment, you have to try extra hard to make those memorable connections.

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Launch Intern

June - August 2021 • Detroit, MI

What I liked

I liked the rotations that allowed me to experience new industries, as well as the collaboration and bonding with other interns that was made possible. Sitting in on meetings was insightful and let me gain first-hand experience with what working in the professional world is like.

What I wish was different

I wish there could've been more in-person interaction, but a lot of that was due to the pandemic and safety concerns. Being on computers and Zoom for several hours at a time was very tiring, and I believe more frequent built-in breaks would've been helpful in increasing engagement.

Advice

Go in with an open mind and reach out to anyone who interests you. EY does a great job of making senior leadership accessible, and it will pay off if you put in enough effort.

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Consulting Intern

March - June 2021 • San José, San José

What I liked

Was very interesting working in such a large, corporate, bureaucratic firm with many procedures and trainings and with branches around the world.

What I wish was different

Was a very boring internship. Entry level, mostly excel.

Advice

Any experience with a firm with a big name is going to be helpful in your career aspirations.

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Financial Audit Intern

June - August 2021 • Los Angeles, CA

What I liked

My internship experience started with a welcoming first week of introduction, ice breakers, and lessons meant to help me better understand the work that we do at EY. The first week felt like the first week at school where I get to meet my colleagues, get to know the work that we do, and guide me towards a successful experience at EY. It was a great introduction to the following week in which we got to work on real teams and serve EY’s clients. I was assigned to work on FOX Corporation which turned out to be the best audit team and an amazing start to my internship. Marlena Radic was one of the staff’s on this engagement. She was the most helpful and valuable asset I had on this engagement. She would always be on call for me to ask questions, assign me to work, and guide me through the engagement. In fact, the team was so incredible that I had a chance to hear the partner on the engagement speak about the structure of FOX and their business as well as actively pose questions on the business and discuss its sustainability. I had the opportunity to always participate in team meetings and I felt valuable at every stage of the audit. Learning audit in school was one thing, but experiencing it in real life was a completely different thing. I had the opportunity to observe the stages of an audit I have learned on paper, in a large company such as FOX, and gain a completely different understanding of financial statements. I confirmed the importance of our accounting foundation in the real-life audit because every small document we analyzed was founded upon the most basic concepts we learned in the first class of accounting. Auditing in my experience was like solving a big equation of accounting information and comparing whether this equation held true in our case. Put in the simplest words we performed analyses across different documents of information and ran simple equations to see if the numbers balanced. This all wouldn’t make sense to me at the beginning hadn’t I asked questions and used the knowledge from my accounting classes to understand why. The important lesson I learned during my first week is to always ask questions that start with why, before asking questions starting with how. This lesson helped me understand the interrelationships between cash flows and income statements. This ultimately led to my understanding that all of the financial documents depend on each other for accuracy and that the big equation from Econ 3a must always hold true: Assets equal liabilities plus equity. Everything else is merely an expended equation of this, always circulating net income back to equity.

What I wish was different

My second week at the firm was a little tougher because I haven’t had the same opportunity to ask why. I was staffed on a small private company developing games on phones. I ended up doing a lot of how’s without forming much understanding of the work I did. The engagement was understaffed and the lack of teamwork on this engagement showed in my lesser understanding of the work I did. However, it is always important to take lessons even from our bad experiences. I learned that a lack of teamwork leads to a less productive engagement, which can quickly turn the work we do into repetitive motions that become the motions of boredom that all accountants dwell upon. This is why it was important for me to take my time when doing the work and try to understand it for myself. I specifically remember the large 15-tab, 1000-column, and 200-row deferred revenue schedule I worked on the first few days. It felt like a prank with an endless amount of unnecessary numbers and information with no end in sight. However, working on this document from beginning to end lead me to understand the whole cycle of analysis we perform in the audit. The vouching and tracing concepts from my auditing class were finally put into practice. The endless documents quickly turned into a large equation of grouped numbers leading to a simple balancing solution between the supporting and the working documents. Bad team communication and unclear assignments have forced me to learn how to work on my own and have made me more comfortable with making mistakes in the work that I do. This has ultimately lead me to become more confident in relying on the knowledge that I possess and the research that I do.

Advice

I think of success as a simple pyramid which foundation is founded upon one’s motivation. I truly believe that any one of us can obtain the same amount of success if we have the motivation to do so, but success is abstract. It isn’t the same for everyone. It all depends on the underlying motivation that inspires us to become the best version of ourselves. One can be successful in creating a happy family, while the other can be the CEO of Google. We define our success and choose our career paths and are successful in our own beautiful ways. Personally, I am highly motivated to get to a point in my life where I can truly make a difference. Somewhere, where my voice can not only be heard but can also make a change. This path leads me to the next step in my pyramid of success which is work. The amount of work I put into something depends on my motivation to succeed in that area of my life. Therefore the last step in the pyramid is my desired level of success or my ultimate goal in life. The level of success only depends on the amount of work put towards my goal, and the amount of work I put into something depends on my motivation. This internship has proven to me that my underlying desire for success is backed with a valid underlying motivation. All of the hard work I have put into school and my previous jobs have led me to this moment. An internship at a big four accounting firm, and a full-time job offer from this multinational company. During my two-month internship, I have gained an enormous amount of experience and knowledge. I have learned invaluable skills and lessons on my engagement teams while networking with successful professionals, and working with world-known clients around the world. I have improved my understanding of audit work, and have revisited important concepts learned in class. I got the confidence to perform research and use my knowledge to contribute to the engagement team. I learned to always ask questions starting with “why”, before the ones starting with “how,” as they are the ones that will benefit me in the long run. I learned to effectively network and communicate my passions to my colleagues and supervisors because they can only help me achieve those if I am vocal about them. I finally understood that they are there to support me and help me achieve those wishes and passions, because only then can I be the most productive asset to them and the firm. Following this experience, I feel confident, motivated, and ready to continue working hard, and look forward to starting my full-time career at EY, where I know I will be able to constantly learn and grow, and achieve these extraordinary goals I have set for myself.

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enterprise risk consulting intern

June - August 2021 • Los Angeles, CA

What I liked

The people and all the resources provided to gain more knowledge and succeed in your career.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Reach out to everyone and try to get put on different types of projects

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Business Consultant

June - August 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

The culture at EY is like no other. Everyone is willing to help you grow and everyone genuinely wants each other to succeed. I created great bonds with some of my peers in such a short amount of time.

What I wish was different

I wish it was longer. I really enjoyed my time there. I also wish I had more time in each rotation to get more in-depth with the work they do.

Advice

"Be a sponge" is something I kept hearing, meaning take in as much information as you can.

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Technology Consulting Intern

June - August 2021 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I loved the people, the community and culture of collaboration and inclusion.

What I wish was different

Going in person and meeting the team.

Advice

Try to engage with as most people as you can and really ask them about getting you involved in the groups or topics that interest you.

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Accountant Intern

June - August 2021 • San Jose, CA

What I liked

Great culture, supports and encourages asking questions and striving to grow

What I wish was different

Less emphasis on hierarchical corporate structure

Advice

Get connected with as many people outside of your immediate field of work

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Technology Consulting Intern

June - August 2021 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

EY really introduces you to the culture of the company throughout the internship.

What I wish was different

I wish there were more in-person events.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask for someone's time. Setting up a 1-on-1 is the best way to network and feel out the company.

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Financial Audit Intern

June - August 2021 • McLean, VA

What I liked

Trainings and people I met were great

What I wish was different

More in-person engagements to network with others.

Advice

Do as many networking and career development opportunities as possible

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Transfer Pricing Intern

June - August 2021 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I liked how the employees at EY assumed that I knew nothing about working. It is comforting to know that I am allowed to make mistakes, and that they know that I am learning.

What I wish was different

I wish that I have been into the office more often. EY’s One Manhattan West office is very beautiful, but they only opened up towards the end of my internship.

Advice

Ask a lot of questions and take a lot of notes. Also, learn Excel as that will help you tremendously.

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Launch Intern

June - August 2021 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed the structure of the rotational program to allow me to gain insight within different service lines without having me choose one to stick to. I also enjoyed the hands-on experience I had and the multiple professionals I was able to network with in-person and over Microsoft Teams.

What I wish was different

I wished I could have done more in depth work into each client.

Advice

I would start networking from the very beginning in the future career service line that you would want to transfer into.

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DSG+ Tax Intern

June - August 2021 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved being able to work with different service groups throughout my time as an Intern. I was able to take part on several engagements with different clients. The DSG program helped me learn more about which direction I would like to start building my career!

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to intern with EY for a longer period of time.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions! EY is there to help you learn!

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Financial Assurance Intern

January - March 2021 • Minneapolis, MN

What I liked

I really enjoyed the people in the Minneapolis office and the work the FSO sector does. The FSO is not limited to different regions which gives more flexibility to work for different branches within EY.

What I wish was different

I do wish that I could have experienced the internship in person. My experience was 100 percent online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EY did a great job making me feel apart of the organization and creating networking opportunities on an online platform.

Advice

My advice for those going into an internship with EY is to work on your time management and communication skills. Your supervisors need to know your progress on different tasks to make their tasks flow smoothly too. If you are struggling with something, let your supervisor know. In my experience, supervisors were extremely helpful on resolving problems and harder tasks. I also recommend to ask questions. I made it a point to ask at least one question for every meeting or check in. This helps you understand your tasks better, and it shows your supervisor that you are engaged in the conversation as well.

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Launch Intern

July - August 2020 • Iselin, NJ

What I liked

The people were friendly and helpful, there was lots of training available and the opportunity to get different kinds of experiences.

What I wish was different

It was virtual so it was tougher to make lasting connections with people when you wouldn’t see them as much as you normally would.

Advice

Ask questions and network with people. People are friendly and always willing to help.

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financial services

June - August 2020 • Atlanta, GA

What I liked

I love the diverse culture present as well as the potential salary/ benefits. The recruitment process was seamless and easy. The other students in the cohort were welcoming and inclusive. The company promotes asking the right questions to get the best answers. That is a philosophy for my life.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been paid more

Advice

Always show up 100%. Be Prepared and enjoy the experience. Get all the knowledge you can. Ask every question you have.

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Assurance Intern

July - August 2020 • Denver, CO

What I liked

I liked that the training was rigorous and comprehensive. The people at EY made this a great experience

What I wish was different

A little bit longer, and multiple client assignments (was shortened due to COVID-19

Advice

Work hard, start early on the application process, and network as much as possible

1 One person found this helpful

Launch Intern

July - August 2020 • Tysons Corner, VA

What I liked

I really loved the collaborative and inviting culture of the firm! Almost every person I interacted with was so welcoming and willing to talk and provide guidance, which made my work experiences really fulfilling and easy to tackle.

What I wish was different

I wish my internship had been a little bit longer, since it was cut short due to COVID-19.

Advice

Don't be afraid to reach out and connect with new people! So many people at the firm (at all levels) are open to setting up a call with you, or sitting down for a coffee chat, even if they haven't met you before. If you're really interested by someone's work, or want to learn about something specific, don't hesitate to reach out and ask to meet with people.

1 One person found this helpful