Internships at St. Lawrence
Internship Basics
What is an internship?
NACE defines an internship as a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting (across in-person, remote, or hybrid modalities). Internships provide students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience, develop social capital, explore career fields, and make connections in professional fields. In addition, internships serve as a significant recruiting mechanism for employers, providing them with the opportunity to guide and evaluate potential candidates.
Experiential learning is also an umbrella term for various types of work-based experiences that usually take place outside the classroom, but which build on complement, and/or supplement the academic learning that takes place inside the classroom. The various types of experiential learning include, but are not limited to internships, co-ops, apprenticeships, externships, practicum/clinical/field placements, job shadowing, on- or off-campus original research projects, and on-campus work study jobs.
Why and when to complete an internship?
Internships are routes to jobs for job seekers and access to talent for employers. For job seekers, NACE research demonstrates that work-based experiences can be avenues to increased skills, expanded networks, and enhanced social-capital. Internships – particularly paid internships – are also direct pathways to job offers.
Internships also provide an opportunity to explore potential career paths without a long-term commitment to a field and/or job function.
Internships can happen throughout the entire calendar year. The most common timeframe to complete an internship is over the summer term, but internships can also happen throughout the academic year either on or off campus and/or over the winter break.
Toolbox for your internship search
Employers seeking internship applications may ask for a variety of documents for consideration. Students should be prepared to submit high-quality and error-free professional documents including a resume, curriculum vitae, a cover letter, letter of interest and/or a writing sample. In addition, an interview is often part of the selection process. Students can access resources to help strengthen their application and/or schedule appointments with career advisors in Handshake by following the links below:
Determining the type of internships students decide to seek out can be an overwhelming process. Students are encouraged to meet with career advisors in the Center for Career Excellence to tap into available resources. Networking can also help students learn about potential opportunities and/or create leads to hiring organizations. A few tools to use in developing your networking strategies are provided below:
Finding an Internship
The Center for Career Excellence recommends using a three-pronged approach to an internship search. Each student identifies and successfully secures internships in a variety of ways, so it is important to utilize a variety of approaches as outlined below:
Online Resources
Meeting with a career coach may help you determine the best resources to use for your interested areas, but some general tools to incorporate into your search could include:
- Handshake
- CareerShift
- Idealist
- Follow the Center for Career Excellence on Instagram @slucareers
- Read the weekly email sent to students on Sunday afternoons, Pathways to Careers to stay on top of events, resources and opportunities in a timely manner.
Networking
The St. Lawrence University alumni network is often ranked in the top-five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Given the strength of our alumni network, it is very common for students to utilize our network in identifying and successfully securing internships. Learn more about incorporating networking into your search.
Another great way to build confidence and tap into the Laurentian network is by tapping into existing programs managed in the Center for Career Excellence. A few signature programs are highlighted below:
Targeted Approach
Don’t be afraid to propose, inquire and/or create an internship opportunity for yourself! Students are encouraged to conduct research on organizations and locations that may be a good match for their interests. Once a targeted list is compiled and sufficient research completed, students can reach out to build relationships and propose potential opportunities with organizations that may not be actively recruiting interns.
Students securing internships in this fashion, may want to use the Internship Fellowship Award as a resource in navigating realistic options.
- Understanding Timelines: Industry Specific Hiring Timelines
- SLU Signature programs and resources
Funding an Internship
It's one thing to secure and internship. It's another thing entirely to be able to take advantage of an internship opportunity, especially if the internship is unpaid or underpaid.
St. Lawrence offers a variety of internship funding opportunities. Our signature program is our Internship Fellowship program, which offers students awards up to $5,500 for unpaid/underpaid internships. Learn more about this program and other ways you can fund your summer internship experience at the links below.
Academic Credit
Students interested in earning course credit for their internship experience may earn 0.25 credits up to two times. In order to qualify for course credit, internships must last for at least six weeks and include no less than 50 hours of supervised work.
Learn more about earning course credit for your internship experiences at the link below.