I am not exaggerating when I say that I have probably learned more during the few months I’ve been a part of the Wharton Gladden “Developing Excellence” Program than I learned in an entire semester at college. Looking back on the time I have spent as part of the program, I realize that it has been an extremely productive, rewarding, and educational summer. I have learned more things, made more connections, and had more interesting experiences than I had originally imagined.

When it comes to learning, the fact that the entire internship experience was catered to giving us a comprehensive understanding of the workings of commercial real estate financing helped us cram so much learning in, that I am sure I, as well as the other interns, are significantly beyond our peers in this regard. Having to prepare a case study gave us a real world understanding of the process of gathering information, performing analysis, and preparing underwriting values, and the importance of this real world understanding cannot be overstated.

As for the other interns in my group, working with them has been a great experience, since everyone was like-minded and got along very well with each other. Having a group of people to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with on assignments made it much easier and also ensured that the work we produced was of a considerably higher quality. Also, using the “Strength Finders 2.0 Report” helped us understand each other’s individual strengths and weaknesses, and use our strengths in a collaborative manner to produce an optimal result.

During the course of the summer, we performed a wide variety of tasks, which kept things very interesting and never made me feel like I wasn’t being challenged or mentally stimulated enough. These tasks ranged from delivering a case study presentation, to performing financial analysis on live deals, to meeting with highly accomplished and experienced Wharton Gladden industry partners and executive team members, and much more. We also had plenty of room for fun and team-bonding experiences, with our trip to Carowinds amusement park, and our “book club” meetings to discuss the “Strength Finders 2.0 Report” and “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, which are both books that have had a strong impact on the way I think and perceive things around me. Last, but certainly not least, we had the opportunity to participate in a cookout event for the homeless at the Bethesda Center in Winston-Salem. It was a truly eye-opening experience that made me feel blessed and thankful for being where I am in life. The fact that Wharton Gladden has such a strong focus on giving back to the community is something that definitely resonated with me, as it is not something that most companies dedicate so much time and effort to.

Overall, I am extremely thankful for the things I’ve learned and the people I’ve met as a part of the Wharton Gladden “Developing Excellence” summer program, and would highly recommend it to any highly motivated college student with a strong interest in finance, banking, and/or real estate. I would also like to personally thank Mr. Algenon Cash, my fellow interns, the entire Wharton Gladden team, and the various Wharton Gladden industry partners for making this a truly great experience and a very memorable summer experience indeed.

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill student, Prashanth Sai Sankar, authored this guest article about his experience in the Wharton Gladden Developing Excellence Summer Internship Program.