After a long day of visiting internship sites, we met up at Bryant Park’s Pond and did some ice skating. The night was beautiful, warm, and fun. While we work hard in our jobs and internships – we don’t forget we are only here for a short time and get out and have fun.

IIB Ice skating party, Bryant Park

Hi,
I was in NYC again yesterday and visited 5 internship sites: Ardistia, Polo Ralph Lauren, SONY Pictures, Trafelet Delta Funds, and Chanel. Yes, it was a long day – but luckily the students are still wowing the supervisors, so my visits were happy, energized, and pleasant. Keep up the good work!

As part of our quality control process, we visit each internship site to meet with the internship supervisor, and the intern. This fall’s site visits started last week, where I visited with 6 interns over 2 days. Without exception I met with supervisors who were impressed with the work ethic and enthusiasm of our students – Nice job IIB!

Hi,
I thought it might be helpful to outline some of the areas that applicants have questions regarding their applications about in my blog.

Academic Courses:
Yes – you are taking 4 courses while you are here – 2 are IIB specific: Introduction to American Public Relations & American Business Communications and Culture. These are just for the IIB class, and required for all IIB participants. Here is a link to some more information about these classes: http://www.newpaltz.edu/iib/program_academic.html

You also are going to attend two (2) school of business courses with other students on campus. We ask that you give us between 4-6 courses that you have an interest in, and have met the prerequisites for. This is due to the fact that classes fill up, scheduling conflicts, and sometimes classes are dropped when they do not fill up. We need several options to ensure you get into 2 business courses.

The courses typically meet either one night a week for 2.5 hrs, or 2 times a week (during the day) for 1.25 hrs each. The PR class is the exception – it meets multiple times a week, and is a semester’s worth of material packed into 8 weeks.

Financial Certification:
You need to demonstrate that you have the funds to pay for the program (currently priced at an economical $9950, which includes health insurance & housing in both New Paltz & NYC!) as well as cover your personal expenses while here in the United States. This has been estimated (probably conservatively if you like to shop) at $3000. That is why we ask for documentation showing either you or a sponsor have access to $13000 USD for our program. You will need to demonstrate this at your consulate visit as well. Examples of acceptable documentation include:
Letter from your financial sponsor, and recent bank statements showing the necessary funds available; scholarship letter, or student loan documentation. If you have any questions – please contact me.

I think this covers the main questions I have been getting this past week. If you have more questions – please contact me.

Jeff

The European Chambers of commerce sponsored a networking event this past week in Manhattan. It was held on a cruise ship, and we went around the southern tip of Manhattan – with full open bar and buffet! It was a very nicely held event, and quite well attended. I was pleasantly surprised to see many of my IIB students there. I think everyone had a good time, and I made some good contacts.

Hi,
Well we moved the students to NYC on Friday with little problems. The housing they are in were ready, and had id cards and keys ready when we came in the door! Students were in their rooms and unpacking within 30 minutes- a new record I think!

Internship placements this semester include:
Ardistia, Benetton, Bertelsmann, Chanel, Donna Karan International, Polo Ralph Lauren, Skandinviska Enskilada Banken (SEB), SONY Pictures Entertainment, Taconic Investment Partners LLC, Museum of Modern Art, Tommy Hilfiger, Trafelet Delta Funds, VH1 Production, Viacom and Wing Latino.

Congratulations to all the students for competing for and winning internships in these great companies!

Time seems to fly when you are having fun, and when you are busy. I’d like to believe that both apply to our IIB students this semester.

The students have 2 full weeks left here in New Paltz, and then we move them to NYC on Oct. 16. All of them have internship offers by now (ahead of schedule) and all but 2 have accepted an internship already! This is outstanding.

Companies accepting interns this semester include Bertelsmann, Ardistia, Tommy Hilfiger, Trafelet Delta Funds, Chanel, SEB, MoMA, Donna Karan, Viacom, Wing Latino and VH1. I am quite proud of the job my students have done in landing some GREAT internships!

It is time that I start shifting my attention from internships to incoming applications. We have a rolling admission policy – so if you are thinking you would like to apply for our spring 2010 program – get your application in to our office soon!

I just got this in the mail from my friends at Bertelsmann – seems our past student who interned there won an award for his internship at Bertelsmann while an IIB student. Wow – congratulations! His message follows:
********************
Hello dear friends!

I write to you briefly just to tell you that I won the First Place in
the nationwide Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs Awards organized by the
Coordinating Council for the Entrepreneurship.

As you know, the work I’ve submitted is called “My Internship Experience in Bertelsmann” and consisted in a book where I compiled some of the work I did as an intern, the corporate history, and the recommendation letters that you kindly wrote for me.

I can now be considered as the best intern in Mexico thanks to the
opportunity that you gave me and because of you constant support.
Thank you guys!

The price (sic) I won consists in a full paid scholarship to make another
internship in any part of the world that I decide for one year and six
months; this covers all the costs of transportation, food, etc. I think
I’ll do this as soon as I have my B.A. degree (May 2010).

Finally, I attach you a scanned image of a paper that covered the “Expo Joven” event where the award ceremony took place. It is in Spanish but I know you’ll understand it.

This is an award for all the team, so congratulations!

Best,

Alejandro Servin

Students are interviewing pretty heavily now – down to 4 weeks before they start their internships. Half of them have accepted internships already. Ardistria, MoMA, SEB, Trafelet Delta Funds, Bertelsmann, Tommy Hilfiger, SONY, Viacom, G2, and Donna Karan have all interviewed some of our students. While it is exciting – it’s also quite nerve racking for the students. That was a great interview, this is a great company. .. but I might also get a call from. . . .

I have put out an incentive to the students. All of them placed by Oct. 1 – and I will host a celebration party at my house. I will buy food, drink, and let them cook or cook for them as they wish. . . I hope all are placed by Oct. 1, and some of them want to cook – I am so looking forward to some enchiladas. . .