Southwestern Advantage Employee Reviews about "college students"

Pros

I first learned about Southwestern from my father, who completed the program in the 70’s while he was in college. He worked with the company for seven years so I heard many stories growing up about his experiences and what he learned on the “bookfield”. Hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly, I knew very well that the program was going to be a lot of work. I considered my first summer after my senior year of high school and quite honestly, I didn’t want to spend my summer working hard. I knew I would grow a lot but I thought I would rather spend my summer sitting on the beach and hanging out with my friends. Quite frankly, I grew up. I realized that in order to achieve the things I wanted to achieve in life, I needed to form the habit of making decisions based on what would benefit me in the long run over what I wanted in the moment (one of the principles Southwestern instills). Indeed my first summer was very challenging. I had to form the aforementioned discipline in even the most minute aspects of my life. It was definitely one of the most, if not the most rewarding experience of my life. I learned how to coach myself as well as others. I learned the discipline that would later help me achieve greater things in my career. I also developed strong relationships with extraordinary college students who push me and will be lifelong friends. I am grateful for everything that Southwestern has taught me and if you are considering the program, I challenge you to take the time to hear more about it. It might not be right for you, but don’t allow fear of something challenging to hold you back from learning more.

Cons

Lots and lots of work

Pros

I heard about the program in one of my classes at the University of Arizona and thought it sounded like something worth checking out. I went to an info session and learned that it was the toughest internship in the world, and as a student athlete, that sounded like the type of thing that I was into. I was trained intensely, worked harder than I ever had in my life, and I finished as the number one rookie salesperson in the U.S. My advice - if you’re going to do it, do it right; ignore the skeptics, listen to your supporters, have fun, and don’t make excuses.

Cons

Sad to see how many college students are scared to do something where their results are determined by their effort.

Pros

This program has been one of the best things I have chosen to do with my college years. Many of my friends had participated and it seemed like an experience that was important for them. The challenge was what attracted me to it. I know that people who choose to do hard things are the ones who get ahead in life, and if this was the hardest thing a college student could choose to do, then I knew it was something I wanted to explore. I was offered a spot on the team and trained weekly before the summer. During the summer I was coached daily. It was absolutely the most difficult work experience I have had up to this point. I understood why not just persevering through the challenge but becoming skilled at something difficult had been so rewarding to my friends. For anyone considering interviewing for the program, the advice I would give is this: It takes all summer to have a great summer. Go all in, do your personal best, and don't make excuses. The friends you'll make, the confidence you'll build, the travel you'll experience, and the families you'll serve make it all worth it.

Cons

The most frustrating thing for me has been dealing with un-supportive people who do not believe in the value of sales or entrepreneurial experience - and think that young people should only seek work opportunities that guarantee hourly pay.

Pros

Southwestern Advantage program promotes the growth of young people through their sales and leadership program. The program is far from easy, but it is the challenges that make it worthwhile. The challenges are what promote the growth and builds character. The rejection that you face in door-to-door sales teaches you resilience and how to keep a positive attitude under pressure. Through this program I have also had the opportunity to have a positive impact on others. Whether it was from selling books and offering educational services to families, or simply a smile and an exchange of a conversation with a stranger. Southwestern Advantage gives college students the opportunity to surround themselves with other students with similar goals to encourage and motive each other. The options, benefits and areas of growth are endless.

Cons

The program is the most challenging program in the world for young people; but that is where the experience and personal growth are gained.

Pros

Learn a ton of communication skills Way out of your comfort zone You gain resilience You learn how to be service minded which helps in ANY career field you plan to go into You get to develop life long relationships You get to travel a TON after you become a leader You learn how to lead yourself thru adversity At the end of the day, life in general will always throw "hard" things at you and its all about how you react to it that define who you are. If you wanna be average then go for it, work 9-5 your whole life, live day to day, and you'll be able to maybe retire at 65? If you lean how to react to life in your 20's, you learn how to run your own business in your 20's, and you get to see most of the world IN YOUR 20'S, why wouldn't you do this? At the end of the day you're still going to go thru life, why not learn how to make the most out of it? The decisions you make now will affect the person you are going to be when your 40, 50, and 60. I don't know about you, but I want to retire early and enjoy life. I would not have learned how to have a great mentality towards life if it weren't for Southwestern. Yeah it is hard, but it's hard for a reason...life is hard and it's always going to be hard, it's all about how you look at it.

Cons

Honestly, none. It's the toughest internship for a reason. If you learn how to get thru tough stuff early, you'll be able to face even tougher things later when the stakes are alot higher. Long hours - I mean hard work makes the dream work Out of state - expand your horizon, I'm sure most college students want to leave home, here's something that helps with that. No guarantee's - well life isn't guaranteed to be great it matters if YOU want it to be great Working alone - I mean come on, do you really expect mom or bf or gf to be there by your side 24/7 cheering you on? At the end of the day you spend the most time with yourself, so why not learn how to lead yourself well?