Hi.
I have some questions about Mac's internship.

I've applied to McMaster's Commerce program and the only thing keeping me away from going there is the fact that they don't have Co-op. However, I do realize that they offer Internship 3rd year, which I know can be just as beneficial as Co-op experience.

So my question is: Is McMaster's Commerce Internship competitive? I've heard that it is NOT easy to get an internship as you are competing with other students. Also, I would like to know, do the employers (for internship) only choose people from Mac or is it opportunities for every university? Do most people who apply get internship? (Give rates if possible, or anything) Qualifications?

Please tell me anything you know about the commerce internship!!!!

Sorry if these questions are stupid, but I would really appreciate it if you can give me a shout!

Hey,

Mac's Internship program is very convenient and well designed for students to get the most out of it. It is competitive to a degree, as you are competing for available openings at workplaces, but as long as you aren't overly picky, you will be able to get something you want.

You don't need a 12.0 GPA in order to get positions, but at the same time you're going to want your grades to be as high as they can, as it obviously reflects to the employer about your attitude at school. Having volunteer/prior work experience is also a plus.

Don't worry about competing with other schools however, as McMaster has a good relationship with many employers who I believe specifically recruit a certain amount of students strictly from Mac because of this internship program.

In your 3rd year, you have to take a non-credit course to prepare you for your internship, and it really guides you in teaching you exactly what you need to know, such as resume building, acceptable behavior in the workplace, etc.

Hopefully that answers all your questions!

Is the Commerce internship program like the Social Science one? In Soc Sci we can find our own jobs and then put it through the program to see if they qualify as internships.

The commerce internship program will already have a large pool of jobs that you can apply for, but you may also find a job yourself and then see if it qualifies for the internship program.

Okay, so then the Mac internship programs are the same all across the board. Damn those engineers and the perks of administration assisted co-op haha.

So would it be difficult to get into the internship?

Is there anybody you know that didn't get internship for whatever reason?

Also, is it true that Co-op is better than Internship?

Without knowing about you more personally, it would be hard to say if the internship program will be difficult for you. As a general blanket statement, I'll say that if you intend to do well in this program and have a good work ethic, then I have a high degree of faith that you will have no problem at all finding a placement.

Is Co-op better than an internship? My personal answer is yes, although it's not as clear cut as that, as different people have different opinions. The best I can do is list some reasons as to why I prefer co-op.

Firstly, co-op provides you with a job during your "summers" (Work terms aren't always in the summer as you alternate work and school, but you understand what I mean). This means that you have a safe and secure method to find employment and hopefully never end up with no placement.

Secondly, co-op doesn't require you to take 5 years to graduate instead of four. This is the biggest reason for why I don't plan to do the internship. The internship program is great if you plan to go from there and possibly end up working full time in that industry. I look at it from a cost-to-benefits point of view however. If you plan to go on to grad school, at which point when you graduate you will be making a lot more money hopefully than an undergraduate (Think $100,000+), the extra year you waste for the internship where you make a nominal salary is obviously not as good as the money you could make after grad school. I'm not saying that the internship is terrible, although I just want you to see both sides of the coin. Different people pursue different things, and I have talked to plenty of people who did the internship and went on to work for amazing companies such as Microsoft where they also got paid very well.

Ultimately, the choice is yours, and you probably know better than anyone what is best for you.