PwC
Shane Ross
Briefly describe your major project(s) over the summer.
I was in a specialty assurance group called PCS (Private Company Services); in short, we do audits for smaller, private, companies. Thus, I did not have a major project over the summer, but rather many smaller projects that were pieces of audits for different companies. I performed fixed asset testing, revenue testing, as well as debt testing - each of these was to provide assurance that the companies did their accounting correctly in the respective financial statement areas.
What is the most important thing you learned from your internship?
The most important thing that I learned from the internship was that there are so many different jobs/groups/aspects of the business world to partake in and I want to try as many of them as possible until I find the best "fit" for me. And on a side note, I also noticed that the CS&E class all business majors have to take is actually one of the most useful classes in college and having good excel skills can really accelerate your promotion in the workforce.
What do you think was the most critical factor(s) in preparing you to succeed at your internship?
The most critical factor that prepared me to succeed at my internship was the ability to work hard and reason through things, which includes being a fast-learner. Coming in, I was extremely nervous that I wouldn't know anything. But, everyone in the work-place is extremely understanding of the fact that college students do not know much about business in the real world; they are willing to help and guide you as much as you need as long as you are willing to work hard to understand what they teach you and make a strong effort to figure things out on your own before running for help. Also, having a positive attitude goes a much longer way than some may think.
Sean Fisher
Briefly describe your major project(s) over the summer.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to audit a major investment company who holds over $275 billion in assets. Throughout the year, the company has multiple year-end financial statements that it releases for the different securities that it holds. I worked on an engagement team with 14 others to audit the closed end funds, swaps, and bonds that this company holds. I had the opportunity to view the company's financial statements compare them with the corresponding bank statements and other relevant documents to ensure that the numbers they reported were accurate so that investors had reliable information when deciding whether or not to make an investment in the company.
What is the most important thing you learned from your internship?
The most important thing I learned from this internship was to ask questions. As interns, we're not expected to know everything. A lot of times, you don't want to ask a question because you think it might be dumb, and you don't want to bother another team member. But, the employees I worked with understood this and were more than happy to answer any questions I had. The answers to my questions not only helped to save a lot of time, but also helped me to understand more about what I was doing and why it was necessary, so that the next time I had a question, I might not need to ask it anymore.
What do you think was the most critical factor(s) in preparing you to succeed at your internship?
The most important factor in preparing me to succeed at PwC was the preparation we have in Fisher working with groups. The public accounting field relies heavily on working with teams, and the classes we take at Ohio State that involve group work were very helpful in preparing me to work with teams this summer. It's not uncommon to jump from team to team, and a lot of times, you don't know everyone on the team. It's important to learn how to work with others to get the assignment completed. Ohio State has done a great job in preparing me to do this.
Kaitlyn Kisiday
Briefly describe your major project(s) over the summer.
This summer, I had the opportunity to start, and complete a federal and state tax returns. At the start of the project, our team would convert the client’s book in come to tax income, and then take any deductions from there. After calculation the correct taxable income, we transferred those numbers to the actual tax returns. I was extremely excited with the partner signed the final return at the end of the summer.
What is the most important thing you learned from your internship?
Work did not always come directly to me. If I finished my assigned work early, my supervisors were not always on top of me to give me the next assignment. I learned how to move to the next step in the projects on my own. If I was not able to move on to the next part, then I would ask my peers, team members, and even the supervisors for more work. Proactively seeking working and being willing to help others made me a better asset to my teams.
What do you think was the most critical factor(s) in preparing you to succeed at your internship?
Being organized and using good communication skills on a daily basis allowed me to be a better intern. Because I was organized, I always knew where my files and projects were in the database, and my team members could rely on me to find and retrieve those files at any time. Communication is equally important in the accounting environment. Knowing when and how to ask questions, and then understand the answer, you can save yourself and your team time by working faster. Having good communication skills is also about understanding. This helped me build relationships within my group and learn the firm culture.
