Why Intern?

Students gain practical experience that complements future/current college courses. Internships also help students prepare for prospective employment.

In addition to giving students an idea of how the workplace operates, internships provide students with a competitive edge when seeking employment.

Obtaining work experience during college often results in

• more job offers,
• a higher starting salary,
• and more frequent promotions.

In a survey, employers said:

• they typically extend offers of full-time employment to more than half the interns,
• just under a third offer a higher salary to graduates coming from their own internship than they offer to any other new hires,
• long-term, graduates who have work experience are more likely to stay with an employer than those who have no prior experience.

Steps to Internship

1. Complete an application form. Forms are available in the English department secretary’s office.
2. Apply to the appropriate contact person at the place where you hope to intern. If the contact is interested, you will need a resume and writing samples for an interview.
3. Once you have been hired for an internship, take a copy of the college internship contract form to your internship supervisor. The department secretary and the registrar have copies of this form. You and your supervisor will need to complete the form. When it is signed by all the appropriate people, take it to the department secretary. She will send a copy of the contract to the registrar’s office and the Office of Academic Affairs.
4. Begin your internship during the first week of classes. The internship ends during the last class week.
5. Be punctual in arriving for your internship. Be sure to notify your supervisor in advance if you have an unavoidable absence and arrange to make up the time.
6. Provide your supervisor with midsemester and final evaluation forms. Copies of these and a 3-4 page typed, doublespaced reflection should be submitted to the department chair during exam week.

Saint Mary’s College Guidelines for Internships

EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING

This is a learning experience that brings students into direct contact with the situations, encounters, and responsibilities they will meet in their careers. It is distinguished from independent study, which is primarily academic.

STUDENT APPLICATION PROCEDURES

a) Students may apply for academic credit for Experience-Based Learning only in an area related to their major and after completing the usual lower level courses required of a major. With the signatures of both chairs, a student from one major may participate in Experience-Based Learning in another department after completing the usual lower level courses required for that major.
b) Permission to receive academic credit for experience-based learning must be obtained before the experience begins.
c) For each credit-bearing program, a learning contract must be drawn up by the student and faculty sponsor and signed by the department chair and a responsible person at the learning site.
d) The student’s major advisor is responsible for certifying that the learning experience does not duplicate another in which the student has participated. Such information is in the Office of Academic Affairs.
e) Copies of the learning contract must be filed with the department chair and the Office of Academic Affairs.

DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

a) The department chair, in consultation with the department faculty, will determine the appropriateness of each specific learning experience for the granting of credit.
b) Each credit assigned to experience-based learning should reflect approximately four hours work per week.

- from The Governance Manual, V1-47.