Students' Speak: Internship is mandatory for all students of Welingkar

By: Aaishwarya Avhad

Apart from the summer internship, there are opportunities for students to opt for winter internships and multiple live projects as well. This helps a lot in building the CVs and to gain exposure, says Aaishwarya Avhad.

In Welingkar Institute of Management Mumbai, the completion of a two-month summer internship is mandatory for all the students. After completing this internship, a project report also needs to be made and submitted which is then evaluated by the professors.

The Career Management Cell (CMC) of our college, along with all members of the placement committee, arranges for the preparation and smooth execution of the summer internship processes. The students are informed well in advance about the dates for the processes and the nature of the internship at the company. Those interested have to apply and appear for the company process. Almost all the students get placed for an internship within the campus itself. This internship process commences September onwards. In some cases, the duration of summer internship can be extended at the sole discretion of that company. The students mostly made to intern in India but there are few, such as Mattel, which provides an international internship as well. The placement process for the internship is similar to the executive placements. Every company has different selection criteria and rounds. The students are shortlisted after each round. Some of the rounds are CV screening, Aptitude test, Psychometric test, Group Discussion, and Personal Interview (the last rounds may consist of multiple rounds as per the company’s decision). Personal Interviews may again be either face-to-face and/or online. They vary from one company to another while some may have all the rounds to get selected. 

Usually, the project title is mentioned and clear guidelines are given regarding work at the company. Some are research project and hence the title may not be revealed earlier. Most of the interns are paid. An internship is a way for students to gain a valuable industry experience; especially being extremely beneficial for the freshers. My internship was an immense learning experience for me. The interns are usually not given major roles to play in the team or project as they’re interning only for two months. But when your performance is exceptional in the internship, and it gets noticed you are offered the highly coveted pre-placement offer.

Apart from the summer internship, there are opportunities for students to opt for winter internships and multiple live projects as well. This helps a lot in building the CVs and to gain exposure in different industries at the base level which a classroom cannot provide. It requires a little dedication and time management to complete winter internships and live projects as they are not a part of the curriculum and hence no extra time is given for them. 

About the Author:

Aaishwarya Avhad is currently pursuing her second year PGDM e-Business (Marketing) from Welingkar Institute of Management. She has done her Summer Internship with The Collective (Aditya Birla Group) and intends to make a career in the IT sector.