INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Importance of Internships
Going to college is a critical step, but you can greatly enhance your classroom learning by gaining
real world experience through internships. In addition to gaining great experience to compliment
your classroom learning, college internships allow you to beef up your portfolio or résumé and
make valuable industry contacts that can be essential to landing the ideal job upon graduation.
Remember the old adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Well toss that right out.
In today’s competitive job market, it’s what you know and who you know that often makes the
difference. College internships are a great way to address both of those issues at the same time.
The importance of internships to college students in terms of networking and gaining new
resources cannot be understated. Building a network of “who you know” through college student
internships can pay great dividends upon graduation. Experience, an enviable résumé, professional
contacts and references, and college credit is essential to an internship experience. Successful
college internships can set you up in the field you want – not to mention putting you one step closer
to your degree.
Upon graduation, those who have completed an internship are more qualified, more experienced,
and more connected than those who have not. The first step is finding an opportunity that fits your
experience and requirements.
At the conclusion of the internship, students should have acquired the following:
Academically:
• An application of knowledge learned in the classroom
• Improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• An increased ability to set goals and became a self-directed learner
• An expanded motivation to learn
• How information in the major/discipline is applied to real life
• Improved research, observation, and information gathering skills
• Improved writing skills
