Academic & Career Center
Internships at WVWC
In years past, a graduating college senior could enter the marketplace, degree in hand, and be reasonably assured of finding the first step on the career path. But the realities of an increasingly competitive economic scenario have made the ease of that transition less certain for today's graduate.
New millenium graduates will have to prove to an employer or a grad school admission committee that they have exceeded required goals. They will have to be prepared to discuss the opportunities they created, through the exercise of foresight and initiative, to pursue career-strengthening experiences beyond academe. They must be prepared with a winning argument to that inevitable question - "Why you?"
Employers are encouraging students to take control of their own career development, and one important step on that path is through completion of one or more internships. In a fast-paced work world, internships offer students an opportunity to blend the knowledge base gained in a classroom setting with the realities of the workplace. The term "internship" is useful for referring to a general category of learning experiences which meet specific objectives and happen beyond the classroom. The "appearance" of internships can vary widely within those broad limits. Internships can follow these varying patterns:
- The "shadow" or "mentor" relationship, in which students can explore a discipline/career choice at the introductory level. Students observe a role model at work and gain insight into how that career commitment "feels" in a real-life sense.
- The "entry-level" internship, in which a student with both the commitment and at least partial academic preparation assumes responsibility for a limited range of responsibilities identified by a field supervisor. The internship might be registered for credit or not, or can occur during a regular academic semester or during the summer, in any number of on or off-campus settings.
- The "secondary" internship describes the experience sought by the student who has already performed an "entry-level" placement or who seeks exposure at a more advanced professional level.
- The "full-semester block" placement describes the experience of the student who devotes an entire semester to an off-campus practicum. He or she spends the equivalent of a semester of full-time employment in a highly structured learning setting. At Wesleyan, full-semester internships are possible through our relationship with The Washington Center For Internships.
At Wesleyan, we encourage students to take advantage of campus resources and become managers of their personal and career development plans. Participation in one ore more internships can be the key to a memorable and valuable education experience.
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