Internships: Advantages to students

Internships help students to:

begin shaping their own direction in the “real world” of their profession;
transfer learning from classroom to workplace;
sharpen abilities and skills;
translate the theories they have learned about their chosen profession into actual day-to-day practice;
focus more directly on what it means to be a professional in a specific discipline;
determine whether or not a particular career path appeals to them;
add the weight of professional experience to their resume;
make valuable professional contacts for future networking.

How we assist student interns
An off campus placement is a degree requirement for all Alverno weekday college students. The staff and faculty assist you to be successful in your internship in a variety of ways. You will be well prepared for your internship experience because:

you will be engaged in experiential learning activities throughout the curriculum that precedes the internship;
you will not be approved to do an internship until you demonstrate that you have a solid foundation in the theory and practice of your discipline;
you will be assisted in the internship placement process by the staff of the Internship office;
you will be supported during the internship by faculty who teach the required concurrent seminar class;
you will be further supported during the internship by the staff of the Internship office.

Alverno has a central Internship office. The staff facilitates placement of students in internships at local, national and international sites — businesses, government agencies or community organizations. Services provided include:

internship site development. We have hundreds of sites from which to choose although you are not limited to those sites. We will work with you to develop a new site.
individual meetings with students to assist in site selection and placement;
workshops to prepare students for the internship;
monitoring of student internships through:
- site visits;
- regular communication with faculty who teach the accompanying seminar;
- collection and storage of internship tracking and evaluation records;
- exit interviews.

If you are planning to do an internship for academic credit, contact the Internship Program Staff:

Susan Leister, Director, 414-382-6019
Lisa Ramirez, Assistant Director, 414-382-6178

The Internship office, located in LA 102, is open
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., from mid-August
to mid-June.
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General Requirements and Internship Policies
Details

Registration procedures and timeline

Students meet with an Internship Program administrator for a planning session one or two semesters before the internship. The Program administrator continues to work with the student throughout the placement process.
During this time students also prepare a resume with assistance from Career Education Center personnel.
Students complete an application to do an internship. The student’s advisor signs the application indicating that the student has the approval of the discipline department. Students submit this signed application to the Registrar.
Students investigate likely internship sites, select several, and arrange for interviews.
Students finalize placement.
During the registration period (November or April) students register for the internship and the accompanying seminar.
In the last week of the semester, students attend a training workshop to prepare them for the next semester’s internship experience.
The Internship Program administrators send information and materials to students, mentors, and faculty a week prior to the beginning of the semester.
Students begin work on site during the first week of classes of the semester or summer session.
Students attend the concurrent seminar throughout the semester or summer session. (Other arrangements are made for national and international internships.)
Throughout the semester, the Internship Program administrators keep in touch with students, mentors, and the faculty who teach the seminar

Frequently asked questions:
"Who can do an internship?"
Weekday College students are required to do at least one internship for academic credit. Weekend College students may do a credit-bearing internship with approval from the Coordinator of the discipline department. Students should talk with their advisors as some majors require two internships.

"When can I do my internship?"
Students do their internships when they are in their junior or senior year after they have completed some upper level courses in their major, and with the approval of their advisor.

"How much time do I spend working at an internship site?"
Students must be on site eight to 12 hours a week during the duration of a semester, or 120-180 hours total during the summer. They also must attend a seminar on campus concurrently with the internship experience. (Other arrangements are made for national and international internships.)

"Can internships be paid?"
Sometimes interns are paid, but many are unpaid. However, students earn two to four hours of academic credit while gaining professional experience.

"Can I do my internship at my job?"
Students can do an internship at their job site only if they can negotiate a new project or job where they will learn new professional skills. It is usually in the student's best interest to explore other organizations and make new contacts.
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Search for internships online

The following Web sites will link students to local and national internship opportunities.

1. NEW! Alverno LINKS - an internship and career services Web site for Alverno students: