My Thoughts On My Internship

As an accounting student at Robert Morris University, I remember my first interaction with Schneider Downs. It was the year before I was expected to graduate, so I knew that landing an internship at a top firm this summer was a must. I attended our university’s yearly “accounting day” and received an overwhelming amount of information from numerous firms and businesses in the area. After talking with some employees from Schneider Downs, I knew that it was somewhere I really wanted to apply for my summer internship. The people were very nice, friendly, and willing to give you career-related advice. I quickly applied to be a summer audit intern online within the next day. I had applied for summer internships at several firms, and I remember this time was full of anxiousness and excitement. I was particularly excited when I saw I had received an invitation for an on-campus interview from Schneider Downs. The interview at Schneider Downs was unique because it was the only firm that offered a pre-networking dinner the night before. I remember feeling so impressed that I was invited to dinner the night before my interview; I would get to know the people in a more relaxed environment. Surely, it helped immensely. I felt comfortable and confident walking into my interview the next day and knew this was something really unique that I liked. After another round of interviews in the office, I was overjoyed with excitement when I received an offer to be a summer audit intern at Schneider Downs. This was in late October, and I had been looking forward to the experience ever since then.

While I was looking forward to my landed internship, this year brought some unexpected challenges to world as we are used to living. The effects of COVID-19 caused my previous internship in the spring semester to end unexpectedly early. I was worried about what this would mean for my summer internship at Schneider Downs. However, despite what was going on in the world, Schneider Downs rose above the situation and informed all of the interns that they still planned on welcoming us to the firm as interns this summer. I was relieved and excited, but still a bit anxious when I found out the internship would be conducted remotely. However, I am now in week 7 of the internship, and I can say I am very pleased with the way things are going. As an intern, I am still able to complete my work, ask for help when I need it, and connect with my peers, mentors, and other individuals at the firm. While the internship may be “online,” I am still gaining valuable work experience and learning new things every day. I get to work with and meet new people every week, just as I would in person. While my internship experience at Schneider Downs may not have been what I originally expected, I can honestly say I am very pleased with my experience and the way that Schneider Downs created an environment that allowed me to learn and gain valuable accounting experience while still feeling connected and engaged with the teams I worked with this summer.