Key Facts about Internships
Fact #1: Summer internships may enhance your career-related skills more than summer jobs.
Routine jobs at restaurants and department stores do not normally provide the same work-related experience as internships. The internships on file at the Office of Career Services are classified into various career fields such as:
- Environment
- Government & Law
- International
- Social Services/Non-Profit
- Education
- Sales & Marketing
- Many others
It is this directly-related job experience that could transform you from an interview candidate into a full-time employee.
Fact #2: Internships are not only available to upperclassmen and graduate students.
While junior year is the most common time to apply for an internship, it is not the only available option. Through the Internship Database, located on the Office of Career Services Web site, you can search and extract internships specific to your major, location and/or field of interest. You can never be too early in beginning your search for internship opportunities or related experience.
Fact #3: It is advisable to start looking at summer internships as soon as you acquire some direction in your field or major.
Internships are vast in number, compensation, and job focus. So, if you choose to wait until the summer, you may find something to occupy your time; however, some of the best compensated and most challenging internships have application deadlines as early as Thanksgiving. To further aid your search, the Office of Career Services regularly sends out information via the MUINTERN Listserv. You can join the listserv by following the directions on the Office of Career Services Web site.
Fact #4: Internships bring added value to your academic experience.
Internships offer a unique opportunity to actually practice the theories and concepts you have learned in the classroom. Properly designed, internships can provide you with the chance to actually apply some of the subject-matter knowledge you have gained. To the extent that they enlarge your academic framework, internships can be invaluable in broadening - and giving greater meaning to - your academic experience.
Fact #5: Solid internship experience can help compensate for marginal academic performance.
While academic achievement is nearly always a factor that employers take into account when evaluating prospective applicants, it is usually just one of several criteria that employers consider. Everyone cannot be an academic superstar, and there are a variety of reasons for less-than-stellar academic performance.
For students who have marginal academic records, solid internship experience can offset grades that may be below par. Practical experience in one's chosen career field has quickly become an important criterion that employers consider when evaluating candidates, and can help make you more competitive in seeking the employment you desire.