Baker Tilly spotlights its internship program

About 40 business students were taken through a day in the life of an accounting intern Tuesday, when Baker Tilly held an information session on their internships.

Two University of Maryland alumni, Brandon Wolf '08 and Lindsey Garst '09, introduced the room full of students to Baker Tilly, the 16^th largest accounting firm in the United States.

Baker Tilly, which was established in 1931, has offices in 11 cities around the US, and about 1,150 staff members. The US branch is part of Baker Tilly international.

Mike Walsh, a senior accounting student and co-president of the university's Accounting and Business Association said Baker Tilly actually reached out to their organization over the summer.

"They are trying to change, become more available on campus, just like the big four is," said Walsh.

Walsh said the style of presentation, presenting it through the eyes of an intern, made it both more informative and interesting.

"The best thing is you actually get to see and hear from them what an intern actually gets to do during the day," said Walsh.

Brooks Henneman, a senior accounting and finance double major and vice president of finance for the organization, agreed with Walsh in regards to the presentation.

"It's neat to see how their internship tries to give the same opportunities to the interns and try to do the same amount of activities and give you the same look of the profession," said Henneman.

When asked what benefits an accounting student may receive from working for a smaller firm than one of the big four, Henneman pointed out the more intimate setting.

"Some would argue that perhaps it's a little more personal, maybe you don't get lost," said Henneman.

Although much of the presentation was what the internship entails and what qualifications are needed to apply, the final few slides showed a more social side of the company. Besides having happy hours and going to Washington Nationals games, there is also an in-office miniature golf tournament where each small group must design a themed hole.

The presentation ended with the four main concepts of working at Baker Tilly: career, family, recreation and philanthropy.