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Owning Your Experiential Education Experiences

Students are often told that high school prepares them for college and college prepares us for the real world. However, the real world is seldom kept in a class room with text books and homework assignments. To better prepare students for the reality of full time careers in their field of study, many students opt for internships.

According to Marilyn Ward, Career Services Experiential Education Specialist, all undergraduates must fulfill an experiential education requirement which allows them to gain more hands-on experience than the classroom allows. Depending on their major, students can fulfill this requirement  with experiential education courses, service learning placements, co-ops, research projects, studying abroad, and internships.

The Offices of Cooperative Education and Service Learning, a part of Career Services, are here to assist students in finding and applying for internships. “Career Services provides assistance with the search for Ex Ed opportunities through targeted emails, the Ex Ed Database of Opportunities, a part-time job newsletter, and weekly workshops on Experiential Education,” said Ward. “Students can also make appointments with Career Services staff to prepare a resume or to discuss Ex Ed opportunities.”

The University gives credit for students interning. Department advisors must approve a student’s placement before granting them credit, according to Ward. Usually, a certain number of credits must be earned before a student can earn credit for their experiential education. She encourages them to gain as much experience as possible through the University. “In general, the more experience a student has the better, so it’s ideal if a student can fit in more than one internship or other Ex Ed placement,” said Ward.

Ward also said that internships and experiential education are critical for a good resume. She continued that these are the qualities that many employers will look at post-graduation. Often, students may even go back to the businesses that they interned for later on. “In terms of finding full-time employment, students who are successful in their Ex Ed placements may be offered positions after graduation,” said Ward. “Nonprofits, schools, and accounting firms are just a few of the areas where students may move from Ex Ed to a full-time position.”

A University alum who majored in psychology, Monika Travino, did a lot of interning during her time at the University. “I think internships are extremely important because it gives students the idea of what it is like to be a professional in the field,” said Travino. “I managed to work with different populations [children, adolescents and adults], and it even helped me to find what I really like to work the most: people who have suffered traumatic events and/or have experienced domestic violence.”

Travino found a full time job through her internship and is still working with them today. “It was a great experience, but I can tell you each person makes the experience as helpful as they can as long as they have a good supervisor,” said Travino.

Not all interns find jobs through their experiential education, however. “Occasionally a student will say that the work was not demanding enough but a lot depends on the energy and enthusiasm that the student brings to the placement,” said Ward. “After completing an Ex Ed placement, a student may feel that a certain job that he or she had planned on is not the best fit. That type of knowledge is important and will enable the student to examine other career choices.”

Erin Cunningham, senior communication major, was disappointed with her first internship. “I had my first internship over the summer with a company that I really did enjoy working for, but I did nothing public relations related,” said Cunningham. “It was honestly fun, but not worth the time and money I put out for the $750-per-credit credit summer course.”

However, Cunningham’s experience with internships has been redeemed. “I am now interning with Lotus823 this semester,” she said. “I started two and a half weeks ago and from day one I was a part of the team and working, doing things I have never done or even seen in class. It’s completely different once you’re sitting down and actually working with an agency.” Cunningham is grateful that she got the opportunity to intern with Lotus823 before she graduates in May.

It is encouraged that students participate in experiential education opportunities that they are interested in and that they enjoy being a part of. “A company is more likely to give more challenging work to a student who is excited to be there and to learn from the experience,” said Ward. She believes that it’s better for the intern and the company to enjoy the work that they are doing.

For students who are seeking internships or unsure about the experiences they already have, The Offices of Cooperative Education and Service Learning are located in the Center for Student Success in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center.

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