In this “Internship Experience” blog post series, we will be featuring the profile and thoughts of our students from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management as they reflect on their internship experience over the last year.
Name: Caroline Greenwood
Graduation Year: 2022
Majors: Accounting / Real Estate
Hometown: Kensington, NH
Internship Company/Title: KeyBank – Real Estate Capital Market Intern
Describe your position and some of your daily tasks?
At KeyBank, I worked on the Community Development Lending team of their real estate sector, so I worked on a lot of different affordable housing projects across the country. I worked closely with the current analysts and helped with whatever they were currently working on, but I mostly helped to create rent rolls, credit approval documents and helped with the quick sizing of loans.
How did you land your internship?
I went to the career fair last fall and talked to the representative from KeyBank who then connected me with the recruitment head at KeyBank for college campuses. Then I went through the interview process.
What did you learn from your internship experience?
I learned a lot more about how what we are learning in school will apply post-graduation. Whitman does a great job of giving you the tools necessary to be successful in your career, but while working this summer I was taught how to apply those tools in a professional environment.
Has your experience changed your plans or career choice when you leave college?
My experience this summer allowed me to be sure that I wanted to go into real estate, and it gave me great experiences and training that I am looking forward to using in my career after graduation.
How will your internship experience help you after graduation?
This internship allowed me to grow as a professional and gave me tools I will be able to apply to my future career. I also had a lot of great mentors that helped me apply what I have been learning at Whitman for the past three years to real work experiences.
How has the Whitman School prepared you for your internship?
Whitman does a great job of teaching a curriculum that will be beneficial to future careers. In addition, all the presentations and teamwork that we do throughout our time here are extremely beneficial to the students to help them prepare for professional experiences. Entering this summer having worked in many different teams throughout my time here, made it easy to be able to contribute and work cohesively with my coworkers.
What did you enjoy most about your experience?
I am extremely thankful that I got to work in person at the New York City office, being able to meet my team in person, as well as the other interns, helped to enrich my experience. I got to know my coworkers on a better level than if I had just been online for the summer which made my time there even better. After a year of having mostly online courses, being able to go into an office every day made life feel almost normal again.
Do you have any advice for students who are looking for an internship?
My biggest piece of advice for students that are currently looking for an internship is to apply anywhere and everywhere. You never know which company will fit the culture that you are looking for, so I believe it’s important to give yourself as many options as possible. I also would advise that you utilize the tools Whitman offers such as Handshake and the career fairs!
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