Internship at Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a pharmaceutical research company that creates and markets vaccines and medication for populations in need. According to Vault, they also host one of the top ten internship programs in the US. After reading about their program on the College of the Liberal Arts internship website, Tim Reside (senior, economics and sociology major) applied and was offered an internship, which he immediately accepted.

At Merck, Tim interned in the business management branch of the Global Human Health Information Technology department. Not only was his internship a great opportunity for Tim to develop his interest in economics, but it was also convenient, because he could live at home and commute to work daily. Tim worked mainly at corporate headquarters in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, although he occasionally commuted to Merck’s other location in Landsdale, Pennsylvania.

Working as a business management intern for eleven weeks, Tim focused mainly on one long-term project: an economic model that would forecast Merck’s spending for the next year. Tim received previous spending statistics from 2008 to June 2009, and worked to predict future spending for the remainder of 2009 and 2010. Upon completion of the forecast model, Tim was asked to document the model, which entailed writing how-to-use instructions so the model could be used after Tim completed his internship. The model was such a success that the company is still using and refining it today.

Tim’s day usually began with updates from his supervisor’s receptionist, and then transitioned into various meetings regarding the model. He constantly communicated with colleagues from Landsdale by phone, e-mail, and video conference. During Tim’s last week, he and his partner had to present their model to clients world-wide, using the video conference technology. While such a big presentation was a challenge for Tim, he says it was all worth it when his supervisor later commended him and his partner. Tim’s experience giving an important presentation in front of management made him realize the value of his Penn State coursework. He credits CAS 100 with helping him with his public speaking skills, and his economics classes with giving him valuable information he used while creating his model.

One highlight from Tim’s internship was attending a Phillies game, one of the many “intern outings” created by Merck. This game allowed Tim to interact with other interns that he wouldn’t necessarily have met while working in the office. Another intern outing included a day off of work and a cruise with DJ, full buffet, and prizes awarded to the interns. Merck also hosted many recruiting activities, such as a lunch meeting at corporate headquarters in which its employees discussed the future of the interns at the company.

Reflecting back upon his internship, Tim notes the importance of excellent communication skills and the ability to work both in teams and alone efficiently. For more information regarding Tim’s experience at Merck, please e-mail him at tcr5007@gmail.com. See Merck’s website for additional details of their internship program.