College acceptance rates have plummeted over the past few years and internship “acceptance rates” have followed the same trend as Goldman Sach’s accepted less than 1% of applicants last round. As the field gets more and more competitive for all college students, UConn business students are at a disadvantage as they do not attend the typical “target schools” that businesses and banks recruit from. UConn’s business students are exceptionally bright and creative, but UConn’s curriculum and schedule are failing them. The lack of an early emphasis on technical skills is preventing them from becoming competitive applicants for internships and post-graduation positions.
UConn business students are not being taught technical and hard skills early enough in their career. While exploring career paths and building a basis of general knowledge is important, UConn business underclassmen are often left applying to internships without key skills such as competency in Microsoft Excel or knowledge of business valuation strategies. These courses are not recommended or required until a student’s fifth and sixth semesters for most students, despite the fact the recruiting for internships can begin more than a year in advance. This means that for a summer 2025 internship, applications opened months ago. Though some students are ahead of the game with credits brought in from high school, accessing these classes early in their UConn career is extremely difficult. High credit barriers, complex prerequisites and grade level limits prevent younger students from getting seats in the classes.
For students in other majors like engineering and computer science, UConn wastes no time in introducing them to the technical aspects of their degree. According to the curriculum outlines for these majors, students begin taking major specific introductory courses in their first and second semesters. These students are offered more of an opportunity to develop a technical skillset early on, even though they will likely be taught these skills during summer research anyway.
In contrast, UConn business students are entering the early-stage application and interview process completely unprepared. These interviews often consist of a personal and a technical section which gauge a student’s competency in mathematics problems and technological functions. Without a solid understanding of these concepts and practice with solving problems, students cannot succeed in these interactions. While UConn stresses the importance of networking and soft skills, without technical knowledge, our business students are not competitive applicants.
UConn has also neglected to provide students with resources outside of the classroom to feed their curiosity and prepare themselves for interviews and internships. Schools like University of Notre Dame and The Wharton School at UPenn boast collaborative partnerships with Wall Street Prep, a top training provider for students interested in investment banking, corporate finance, real estate or other business niches. These resources serve as fantastic additions to required coursework and without UConn’s help, the most popular course on Wall Street Prep is $500. Many UConn students choose our university because it is the most affordable option and do not have the out-of-pocket resources to pay for external costs like this.
Many business majors require both hard and soft skills to succeed in their given field. Oftentimes this is overlooked in favor of the STEM students who have a plethora of resources in their coursework and research. UConn business students also deserve to feel qualified and competitive in their application process for internships. Updating the resources available to younger students and removing barriers around higher level classes will ensure that Huskies in business represent our school well. Students in the UConn School of Business have a bright future ahead of them—they just need to know how to use the =VLOOKUP function.