Consulting

Summer 2016

Position: Strategy Analyst
Student: Economics Junior 

Today I woke up at six thirty in the morning, got ready for work, drove my rental car to the local grocery store, and hopped on the Los Angeles freeway to drive to the office. I expected a relaxed morning. However, ten minutes into my thirty-minute commute my manager called me on the car’s Bluetooth to alert me I would be attending the client meeting that was in less than hour and to come prepared with the files we revised the evening before. The trajectory of my day drastically changed with the stress and thrill of spontaneously sitting in on my first client-facing meeting.

An internship within in Accenture, and the consulting industry in general, is unpredictable in that you never know what your day or week will be like. To succeed in this fast-paced environment, one needs to not only be ready to learn quickly and think on one’s feet but also have a passion for change and fast development of products.

At Accenture, interns are first placed within a type of consulting when recruiting and then a project is assigned on the first day of the internship. This project could be in any industry and be for any type of work. Last year I worked in the energy industry on research and this summer I worked on value targeting for a healthcare client. The possibilities are truly endless but no matter the project there are a few common themes to keep in mind.

Within the variability of Accenture, all analysts are more successful when they come in with technical skills such as excel and PowerPoint, along with effective communication skills. Moreover, I’ve noticed the incredibly successful consultants at Accenture advocate for themselves and others, spend time developing their technical skills, and maintain a genuine inclusive attitude. Overall, be ready to learn and have a collaborative attitude.

Summer 2017

Position: Consulting Intern
Student: Economics Junior       

The great thing about my internship at Alvarez and Marsal was that every day was always a little different. Most days I was at a client site, some days I was at the A&M office downtown, and a few days we worked from a coffee shop. Consulting is a service industry in which plans change rapidly and you must adapt to be successful.

I had a list of priorities to be working on every day, when I wasn’t in a meeting, and there was almost never down time. The first priority was always my client work, if I had a deadline pertaining to that it had to be done before I could work on anything else. My second priority was my Houston market analysis, I worked on this when I was ahead of schedule on my client work. The third and final everyday priority was the case study. I worked on this mostly towards the end of my internship. I enjoyed always having something to do because it meant I was constantly learning.

On a typical day during my internship I would get to the office around 8:00 AM. I would then check my emails and look at my calendar and create a plan for the day. Creating a plan for each day was essential because it made me get things done at a specific time. Time management was very important during this internship because we had three projects going on for most the summer. I always waited until the last member of my project team left the office, because if they needed help with something my job was to be there to help them.

Spring 2018

Position: Virtual Care and Innovation Intern, GoodHealth Solution Center
Student: Health & Society Junior

Interning at the GoodHealth Solutions Center you will have an important role on the team and will be assigned various assignments throughout the semester. For the internship, you will be issued a laptop dedicated for your assignments, and you own personal workspace with a desktop setup. This internship requires about 20 hours of work per week, but this work can be completed at the office or remotely from home. The project managers are very understanding with school schedules, and will help set a schedule for the days you can be at the office. On busy weeks, like midterms, they will also work with you and set up times for video or phones conferences to work on assignments if you are unable to come into the office.

Throughout the semester you are able to shadow various members from the GHSC Team in order to learn the industry landscape. While the GHSC has multiple areas of focus, the project managers allow you to shadow as many people as you wish and they have multiple project to choose from. For my projects this past semester, I created a remote patient monitoring operations playbook, worked within an electronic health system to fix providers name misspelling to generate an accurate report, and I collected remote monitoring patient testimonies to be used for marketing and presentations. I also did a research paper over remote patient monitoring benefits, with a comparative market research analysis of different companies and how they compare to the GHSC. I was able to choose my projects at the beginning of the semester and we set deadlines throughout the semester depending on my progress. I was also assigned different but smaller tasks when they arose like, producing regular reports, helping with presentations, creating visual communication pieces, blog posts, and more. For anyone interested in the healthcare industry or project management this is an exceptional opportunity.

Fall 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Rhetoric and Writing Senior

A “Day in the life,” at Hillco partners is very unpredictable, which makes it much more interesting in my opinion. At Hillco partners, you are provided with a free parking spot, which I have come to find out that not all internships offer this. You may have to walk a block or two to work, but free parking is free parking. This internship provides you with very ample supervision, but does not make you feel like you are being babysat. Your two supervisors will be located in the two offices right next to the intern office, which makes it very convenient. There are some common responsibilities that interns are expected to always take care of. Interns are expected to keep both kitchens nice and tidy, as well as keeping up with the dishwasher and making sure the sinks are kept empty of dishes. We also oversee the restocking the drink refrigerator and the snack cabinets. We also are in charge of making sure both conference rooms are clean and ready daily as well as making sure the work room is also clean. The most important thing in the work room is to make sure there is plenty of copy paper available. Those are the day to day things that always happens, but as for the rest, it is very unpredictable. One day you might be working on some sort of project for a partner, and the next day you might be running errands in your car or going to the capitol. Some days you might be sent to a live meeting to take notes, or asked to watch a live meeting online and do the same. This internship has unexpected twists and turns, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I am a person who likes routine, and this took me out of my comfort zones a lot of times helping me to be more comfortable in situations that I would rather not be in. One thing I realized while working here is that people notice more of you than you think and the people in the office do talk about you. So, if you aren’t putting your best foot forward here the entire office will eventually have the same feeling about you, so make everything you do the best you can do it.

Spring 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Rhetoric and Writing Junior

A day in the life of being an intern at Hillco Partners can really vary depending on the day. Hillco Partners is located at 9th and Congress, and they do provide you a free parking spot. You might have to walk a couple of blocks, but free parking is free parking. You will also have your own email that I have connected on my phone. A lot of times I will have received emails with projects that are waiting for me before I get to work. But, as for day to day routine, things can really vary depending on the day. There are some days where I don’t even get a chance to sit down because I am running errands for different people in the office. From running to the Capitol, to running errands in your car, there usually are a lot of different types of errands to run depending on the day. Your everyday responsibilities include multiple little tasks. It is expected that the kitchen refrigerator is always fully stocked with coke products and water. It is also expected that the dishes and the dish washer be kept up so that there are no dirty dishes visible, and so the dishes are taken out and put away in a timely manner. Interns are also responsible for keeping the work room organized and cleaned, the most important thing in the work room is to make sure the copier is always full of paper. There are also other tasks that you will be assigned here and there that require a more focused type of work. I have enjoyed this internship because it is a little unpredictable, which keeps it a little more interesting. There are definitely times when it has been a little repetitive, but there is usually something going on to liven then week up. The most important thing I try to do is keep the executive assistants in the office happy. They are truly the ones who can make or break this experience. They can either talk highly of you or talk about how they do not care for you. Their opinions make a very big difference and the other people in the office trust their opinions. No matter how ridiculous you might think the task is, always do it with a smile. Your time at Hillco Partners will be a truly positive experience you remember this.

Position: Intern
Student: Rhetoric and Writing Junior

A day in the life of being an intern at Hillco Partners can really vary depending on the day. Hillco Partners is located at 9th and Congress, and they do provide you a free parking spot. You might have to walk a couple of blocks, but free parking is free parking. You will also have your own email that I have connected on my phone. A lot of times I will have received emails with projects that are waiting for me before I get to work. But, as for day to day routine, things can really vary depending on the day. There are some days where I don’t even get a chance to sit down because I am running errands for different people in the office. From running to the Capitol, to running errands in your car, there usually are a lot of different types of errands to run depending on the day. Your everyday responsibilities include multiple little tasks. It is expected that the kitchen refrigerator is always fully stocked with coke products and water. It is also expected that the dishes and the dish washer be kept up so that there are no dirty dishes visible, and so the dishes are taken out and put away in a timely manner. Interns are also responsible for keeping the work room organized and cleaned, the most important thing in the work room is to make sure the copier is always full of paper. There are also other tasks that you will be assigned here and there that require a more focused type of work. I have enjoyed this internship because it is a little unpredictable, which keeps it a little more interesting. There are definitely times when it has been a little repetitive, but there is usually something going on to liven then week up. The most important thing I try to do is keep the executive assistants in the office happy. They are truly the ones who can make or break this experience. They can either talk highly of you or talk about how they do not care for you. Their opinions make a very big difference and the other people in the office trust their opinions. No matter how ridiculous you might think the task is, always do it with a smile. Your time at Hillco Partners will be a truly positive experience you remember this.

Summer 2017

Position: Consulting Intern
Student: Economics Junior       

The great thing about my internship at Alvarez and Marsal was that every day was always a little different. Most days I was at a client site, some days I was at the A&M office downtown, and a few days we worked from a coffee shop. Consulting is a service industry in which plans change rapidly and you must adapt to be successful.

I had a list of priorities to be working on every day, when I wasn’t in a meeting, and there was almost never down time. The first priority was always my client work, if I had a deadline pertaining to that it had to be done before I could work on anything else. My second priority was my Houston market analysis, I worked on this when I was ahead of schedule on my client work. The third and final everyday priority was the case study. I worked on this mostly towards the end of my internship. I enjoyed always having something to do because it meant I was constantly learning.

On a typical day during my internship I would get to the office around 8:00 AM. I would then check my emails and look at my calendar and create a plan for the day. Creating a plan for each day was essential because it made me get things done at a specific time. Time management was very important during this internship because we had three projects going on for most the summer. I always waited until the last member of my project team left the office, because if they needed help with something my job was to be there to help them.

Spring 2018

Position: Virtual Care and Innovation Intern, GoodHealth Solution Center
Student: Health & Society Junior

Interning at the GoodHealth Solutions Center you will have an important role on the team and will be assigned various assignments throughout the semester. For the internship, you will be issued a laptop dedicated for your assignments, and you own personal workspace with a desktop setup. This internship requires about 20 hours of work per week, but this work can be completed at the office or remotely from home. The project managers are very understanding with school schedules, and will help set a schedule for the days you can be at the office. On busy weeks, like midterms, they will also work with you and set up times for video or phone conferences to work on assignments if you are unable to come into the office.

Throughout the semester you are able to shadow various members from the GHSC Team in order to learn the industry landscape. While the GHSC has multiple areas of focus, the project managers allow you to shadow as many people as you wish and they have multiple project to choose from. For my projects this past semester, I created a remote patient monitoring operations playbook, worked within an electronic health system to fix providers name misspelling to generate an accurate report, and I collected remote monitoring patient testimonies to be used for marketing and presentations. I also did a research paper over remote patient monitoring benefits, with a comparative market research analysis of different companies and how they compare to the GHSC. I was able to choose my projects at the beginning of the semester and we set deadlines throughout the semester depending on my progress. I was also assigned different but smaller tasks when they arose like, producing regular reports, helping with presentations, creating visual communication pieces, blog posts, and more. For anyone interested in the healthcare industry or project management this is an exceptional opportunity.

Summer 2023 

Position: Associate Practitioner / Management Trainee 
Student: Psychology Sophomore 

Corporate DNA Consulting is a global corporate consultancy specialising in leadership development and organisational psychology. CDNA work with major corporations worldwide to improve the flow and dynamics of their company and to help each individual meet their full potential. I was given the opportunity to work with CDNA over the summer of 2023 as the CEO is a good family friend. My internship involved working directly for the Senior Leadership Team in Singapore. I was involved in co-creating and running leadership development programs for Shell and Dyson. I was constantly researching the latest findings, concepts, and trends in organisational psychology to develop new programs for the company. In addition, I worked to create digital content and media for advertising and stakeholder influencing purposes as well as for internal education and development. I also worked directly with the AMEA HR & Talent Team at Kellogg’s for two weeks to provide an external assessment and analysis of a specific division of the company in order to produce a new leadership offering and program for the Asia region. What I loved most about working for CDNA was the immense amount of opportunity I was given to be involved in the same work as those highest in the company. I was learning through doing and whilst it was daunting at first, it allowed me to learn an incredible amount about what being an organisational psychologist and a leadership consultant is like as I was given the opportunity to essentially be one for two months. This internship was the most impactful experience I have had so far in my college journey. I was able to truly explore a possible 
career path and I expanded my knowledge beyond what I thought was possible in such a short period of time.  

Fall 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Rhetoric and Writing Senior

A “Day in the life,” at Hillco partners is very unpredictable, which makes it much more interesting in my opinion. At Hillco partners, you are provided with a free parking spot, which I have come to find out that not all internships offer this. You may have to walk a block or two to work, but free parking is free parking. This internship provides you with very ample supervision, but does not make you feel like you are being babysat. Your two supervisors will be located in the two offices right next to the intern office, which makes it very convenient. There are some common responsibilities that interns are expected to always take care of. Interns are expected to keep both kitchens nice and tidy, as well as keeping up with the dishwasher and making sure the sinks are kept empty of dishes. We also oversee the restocking the drink refrigerator and the snack cabinets. We also are in charge of making sure both conference rooms are clean and ready daily as well as making sure the work room is also clean. The most important thing in the work room is to make sure there is plenty of copy paper available. Those are the day to day things that always happens, but as for the rest, it is very unpredictable. One day you might be working on some sort of project for a partner, and the next day you might be running errands in your car or going to the capitol. Some days you might be sent to a live meeting to take notes, or asked to watch a live meeting online and do the same. This internship has unexpected twists and turns, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I am a person who likes routine, and this took me out of my comfort zones a lot of times helping me to be more comfortable in situations that I would rather not be in. One thing I realized while working here is that people notice more of you than you think and the people in the office do talk about you. So, if you aren’t putting your best foot forward here the entire office will eventually have the same feeling about you, so make everything you do the best you can do it.

Spring 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Rhetoric and Writing Junior

A day in the life of being an intern at Hillco Partners can really vary depending on the day. Hillco Partners is located at 9th and Congress, and they do provide you a free parking spot. You might have to walk a couple of blocks, but free parking is free parking. You will also have your own email that I have connected on my phone. A lot of times I will have received emails with projects that are waiting for me before I get to work. But, as for day to day routine, things can really vary depending on the day. There are some days where I don’t even get a chance to sit down because I am running errands for different people in the office. From running to the Capitol, to running errands in your car, there usually are a lot of different types of errands to run depending on the day. Your everyday responsibilities include multiple little tasks. It is expected that the kitchen refrigerator is always fully stocked with coke products and water. It is also expected that the dishes and the dish washer be kept up so that there are no dirty dishes visible, and so the dishes are taken out and put away in a timely manner. Interns are also responsible for keeping the work room organized and cleaned, the most important thing in the work room is to make sure the copier is always full of paper. There are also other tasks that you will be assigned here and there that require a more focused type of work. I have enjoyed this internship because it is a little unpredictable, which keeps it a little more interesting. There are definitely times when it has been a little repetitive, but there is usually something going on to liven then week up. The most important thing I try to do is keep the executive assistants in the office happy. They are truly the ones who can make or break this experience. They can either talk highly of you or talk about how they do not care for you. Their opinions make a very big difference and the other people in the office trust their opinions. No matter how ridiculous you might think the task is, always do it with a smile. Your time at Hillco Partners will be a truly positive experience you remember this.

Fall 2020

Position: Student Consultant
Student: Sustainability Studies and Supply Chain Management Junior

The Longhorn Impact Fellowship at Texas (LIFT) program is part of the McCombs Social Innovation Initiative. This program is a semester long consulting fellowship that offers junior/senior undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work with a corporation or non-profit on a social impact project. Projects are related to sustainability, philanthropy, and social/environmental innovation. The fellowship is open to all majors and people from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Applications to be a part of the LIFT program in the Spring 2021 semester will open in late November. This internship opportunity will be virtual. In my role specifically, I was assigned with a group of students to work with Engie, an electricity provider. Our team worked with Engie to evaluate the way they gather data on their renewable energy products. I did research, qualitative analyses, design thinking, and worked on ways to improve these methods. The responsibilities vary based on the project a student consultant is assigned.

Fall 2016

Position: Business Consultant Intern
Student: Economics Senior

My internship is happening in San Francisco Consulting Group; it is a company that who believes that the best customer experience drives business. Indeed, as a partner of Oracle Corp, it is like stand on the giant’s shoulder to face every challenge. Your role and responsibilities as an intern here are straightforward, learning, learning and learning. As an intern, the people here are not expecting much from you but only one thing, the enthusiasm. The enthusiasm of wanting to learn, the enthusiasm of wanting to improve and the enthusiasm of being excellent. A typical day in SFCG is quite interesting. As a full day besides Friday, you enter the office by 9am, depends on the day, because you might have a project that has weekly meeting with clients at 8am. Normally, after you came in you check with your mentor, sit down with him and make sure the day’s schedule and tasks are planned out, especially for those closing projects which need to be prioritized. The purpose for this is obvious, you learn by doing them, and don’t worry if you are afraid you cannot perform some of the tasks, because your mentor will always back you up. To breakdown each of the skills that were listed on the internship description paper, the first thing you will be trained is the technical still. As an IT company intern, depend on what do, you will be trained on how to use the software or programing knowledge to solve internal and client’s problems. Second is the communication skill, in order to consult, you will be trained on how to properly communicate with your client effectively, how to solve urgent client issues quickly and how to efficiently collaborate within your team. These skills will be gradually performed and corrected through every group meeting or even a notes taking process. You will need to do is set up your goal and by the end of the day, you will find out that your day is fulfilled.

Summer 2023 

Position: Historic Tax Credits Intern 
Student: Urban Studies Senior 

Ryan LLC is a tax consulting company where they put their employees as people first. The culture is one of celebrating each other while relieving their clients of tax burdens. While they are a tax company, Ryan LLC purchased one of the top historic tax credit consulting companies in the United States to create their Historic Tax Credits Architectural Consulting division. The Houston part of this division is an amazing all female team where everyone is so empowering of one another. I found this internship through one of their recruiters who messaged me on LinkedIn. My duties include assisting in all parts of the Historic Landmark Designation process (Parts 1a, 2b, 3c, & and National Register nominations). Everything imaginable in an architectural consulting internship is done from site visits for surveying the building, documentation of the building, writing of architectural descriptions, historical significance through archival work, and photo layouts. My favorite thing about this internship is how phenomenal this company is especially as they allow me to do the thing I love as they gave me complete trust and responsibility from day one. 

Fall 2016

Position: Business Consultant Intern
Student: Economics Senior

My internship is happening in San Francisco Consulting Group; it is a company that who believes that the best customer experience drives business. Indeed, as a partner of Oracle Corp, it is like stand on the giant’s shoulder to face every challenge. Your role and responsibilities as an intern here are straightforward, learning, learning and learning. As an intern, the people here are not expecting much from you but only one thing, the enthusiasm. The enthusiasm of wanting to learn, the enthusiasm of wanting to improve and the enthusiasm of being excellent. A typical day in SFCG is quite interesting. As a full day besides Friday, you enter the office by 9am, depends on the day, because you might have a project that has weekly meeting with clients at 8am. Normally, after you came in you check with your mentor, sit down with him and make sure the day’s schedule and tasks are planned out, especially for those closing projects which need to be prioritized. The purpose for this is obvious, you learn by doing them, and don’t worry if you are afraid you cannot perform some of the tasks, because your mentor will always back you up. To breakdown each of the skills that were listed on the internship description paper, the first thing you will be trained is the technical still. As an IT company intern, depending on what do, you will be trained on how to use the software or programing knowledge to solve internal and client’s problems. Second is the communication skill, in order to consult, you will be trained on how to properly communicate with your client effectively, how to solve urgent client issues quickly and how to efficiently collaborate within your team. These skills will be gradually performed and corrected through every group meeting or even a notes taking process. You will need to do is set up your goal and by the end of the day, you will find out that your day is fulfilled.