Location: Burlington, VT
Number of Respondents: 4

          The students lived in suburban apartments or dorms that were 15 to 25 minutes away from work, by car. Most people used cars to get to work, although IBM Microelectronics does not provide them for its interns. Although the after-work activities in the area were limited, Vermont does provide a "beautiful scenic environment."

          The students living in dorms complained of the lack of air-conditioning (not allowed) and the lack of access to dorm facilities. The students' projects, involving product development or testing, were mostly assigned upon arrival, although one M.Eng. student chose her thesis topic after several weeks. Except for one first-year student, the interns' input was used in selecting the projects. Mostly, students felt that their projects were fairly interesting and somewhat important to the work of their groups. A couple of students felt underqualified for their work.

          The work environment at IBM T.J. Watson is somewhat laid-back, and dress is fairly casual. Students mostly had shared offices or cubicles. The co-workers are extremely competent and treated the students with a great deal of respect. The available equipment is fairly state-of-the-art. There was a reasonable amount of interaction between students, through self-organized evening outings. IBM Microelectronics did arrange corporate presentation lunches for the interns, but they were rather dry.

          No health or dental benefits are paid by IBM Microelectronics, but moving costs and the fifth-year, first-term tuition are covered. The salary is above average for the East Coast.

          The students reported that IBM Microelectronics is a good company and that they worked in good groups. They would choose to work there again, but not all would consider working there after graduation.

"I felt a bit overqualified, although last year I felt underqualified."

IBM (Almaden Research Center)
HKN Guide
IBM (T.J. Watson)