Internships

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent. NACE, 2015.

Students should begin their eexperiential learning early, as early as your Freshwoman year (see Freshwoman track).  Experiential learning, according to NACE, encompasses a wide variety of enriching opportunities for students, including service-learning, volunteering, student organization leadership and campus involvement, faculty-led research and projects, experiential study-abroad, student employment/work-study, cooperative education, and internships.

Students interested in an internship, please visit the Office of Career Services.

Internships – Links

The OCS recommend prior to completing an application for an internship position, please see the career practitioner to go over the criteria with you.

Internships 101

An internship is important to offer you meaningful exposure to a professional, college-level career of your interest field. It must correlate to your field/major of interest and should last one summer or semester.

Internships can be…

  • Paid or Unpaid
  • For Academic Credit or Not-for-credit
  • Part-Time (approx. 12-15hrs/wk.) or full-time

Why You Should Do an Internship?

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers survey report in 2014 on Internship & Co-op, employers offer Interns full-time positions.

Benefits of Experiencing an Internship

Professional
• Explore career fields and find out what you like and don’t like to do
• Gain relevant real-world experience to enhance your resume
• Observe professional people and behavior
• Develop networking skills and gain professional contacts in your career field of interest
• Be more competitive in your full-time job search and/or graduate school applications   

1. Discuss with OCS where you like to take your internship.

  • Are you looking locally, nationally, or internationally?

2. Develop a timeframe & track the deadlines.

Visit OCS for Internship Tracking Sheet.
• Looking locally? Apply 2-3 months out from your desired start date.
• Thinking big (like New York, Boston, or D.C.)? Apply 3-6 months out.
• Is it highly competitive (like with the CIA)? Apply 6-9 months in advance.

Contact your academic advisor to learn about Academic Credit.

Be sure to follow up with each application within a week after you have submitted it.

3. Narrow your focus.

  • Choose 1-2 fields of interest and broaden as needed.

4. Send only the documents the application calls for.

You will not always need to send a cover letter & remember that references are included on a separate document from your resume.
Typically, you will need: a Targeted Resume, a Targeted Cover Letter, & List of 3-5 References.

5. Use your online resources to maximize your search.