I found my internship at Gilbane by attending Suit Up and Be Civil.
Name: Elizabeth Hutchins
Major: Civil Engineering
Company: Gilbane
Location: Silver Spring, MD
How did you find the internship/co-op? What was the interview process like? I found my internship at Gilbane by attending Suit Up and Be Civil. I talked with the recruiters at the Gilbane booth, and they eventually reached out to me to set up an interview time. The interview process consisted of one behavioral interview with 3-4 current Gilbane employees talking about my experiences, how I work under pressure, etc.
What have been the most interesting aspects of your internship? The most interesting aspects of my internship were probably the various aspects of the construction business and process that I was exposed to over the course of a summer. I worked directly with the project engineer, superintendent, and project manager assisting them with RFI's, submittals, contacting sub-contractors, and various types of documentation.
What campus activities or courses do you think helped you, or would have helped you, with this internship? I think that the most helpful course I could have taken to assist me with this internship would have been ENCE325, Introduction to Construction Project Management. I actually ended up taking this class the fall semester after my internship completed and I had a massive amount of knowledge on the class material from being exposed to the process over the summer.
Was there a formal program for all interns at the company? Was peer support available throughout the internship? There was a formal program for interns at the company. Almost all of the interns had the same start date and traveled to one office to meet each other and learn the company culture/procedures. There was also an intern group project where teams consisting of 5-6 interns responded to a real-life RFP that included experience, budget, schedule, site logistics, and safety. Some of the interns I met and became friends with also attend University of Maryland and are Civil Engineering majors, so I was able to meet friends that would be in my future classes through my summer internship.
What advice would you give other UMD engineering students seeking an internship or co-op position? Advice I would give to other UMD engineering students is to not be afraid to do an internship in something you don't know if you'll like. You can learn more about your career goals through internships, the outcome will always be positive (whether you figure out this is the path for you, or if it isn't).
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