Vault named Bates White’s Summer Consultant Program the #3 internship program for consulting firms and #25 for all firms for 2021. This is especially impressive, given the challenges of implementing the program remotely.
Vault is a resource for students looking for insider information about the best companies to work for. Rankings are based on Vault’s survey of approximately 11,000 interns from just over 100 internship programs. Respondents rate their experience in six categories: interview process, quality of life, compensation and benefits, diversity, career development, and full-time employment prospects.
Bates White offers a 10-week program for Summer Consultants that includes extensive training, hands-on quantitative and qualitative client work on actual cases, mentoring by firm leaders, social events, and opportunities to organize a community service project. The 2020 program was completely remote, so the training, mentoring, and social events were virtual. Summer Consultants still engaged fully with work and with community service on Zoom. For instance, they attended regular training sessions in Stata, R, and Introduction to Litigation, as well as virtual social events like an escape room and a trivia event, and they organized a team-centered Spirit Week with a virtual event every day to raise money for the DC Education Fund.
One former Summer Consultant noted on the survey, “The training is extremely rigorous, the management is fantastic, the work you do is exactly the work you would do as a full-time consultant, and you learn a great deal.” Another Summer Consultant continued, “This gives a great deal of experience to interns getting real-life work experience. There are networking opportunities nearly every week, as well as a robust mentoring program to help interns get the most out of their experience.” And a third commented, “Everyone here is incredibly kind and willing to talk to you regarding career advice, how to do your job better, or just life in general!” More than two-thirds of participants said the virtual internship experience exceeded their expectations.
“Vault’s recognition of our summer program reflects our commitment to providing a culture where every Summer Consultant has opportunities to grow and contribute to the firm’s success—even while remote. We are proud to be recognized as one of the best programs for all consulting firms,” said Charlie Mullin, Bates White Managing Partner.
See the full Vault ranking here.