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An internship is generally defined as a substantive work and learning experience related to a student’s major or career goal that involves working under the direct supervision and monitoring of practicing professionals. The experience an internship provides is invaluable in making informed career choice decisions and gaining the experience you need to be successful in your job or graduate school search. Internship experience is fast becoming an expectation that graduates schools and employers take into account when making their admissions and hiring decisions. According to the 2006 NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Experiential Education Survey, performing an internship really does pay, in terms of the starting salary a new hire can expect. 46.2 percent of employers said they offer higher salaries to incoming college hires with internship experience than they offer to new college hires who lack experience.
Career Services offers a number of services and programs designed to help you locate and apply for internships. Wabash College also has 11 different experiential programs that provide financial assistance to students in qualified internships. Go to Wabash Internship Programs to see a list of those programs.
Our Internship Coordinator is Michael Kerr, kerrm@wabash.edu. Mike will help you navigate the search and application process.
Frequently Asked Questions
 What’s the difference in an internship and a part-time job?
An internship is more structured with regard to intentional learning objectives and close supervision and is directly related to your current professional goals. Internships often require completion of a specific project, reflection on the experience and an evaluation of your work and your experience.
What’s the difference in an internship and an externship?
An externship is a shorter-term experience (usually one week or less) that consists of more observational activities, such as job shadowing. There may or may not be an abbreviated project in an externship. Externships are designed to give you a quick overview of an industry or job to determine if it’s a path you’d like to pursue.
Are internships paid?
Not necessarily. Some are paid, some are not. It depends on the industry, the organization, and often the popularity of the internship – if they don’t ‘need’ to pay to attract applicants, they may choose not to do so. The purpose behind an internship is to provide an experiential opportunity and the reward comes from that experience and the resulting increase in your marketability. The bottom line: You should never try to use an internship as a money-making venture. Note that most internship programs are not full-time, so you can often supplement your internship with part-time work to make any money you may need. If you choose to intern in a large city, there may be housing options at local colleges that can help with expenses as well.
Some non-paid internships do offer other financial benefits. These might include free parking, housing/housing assistance, travel expenses, meals, mileage, etc. Others may offer college credit in lieu of pay. This can be a problem at Wabash however, since we do not provide college credit for internship experience. If you are interested in an internship that provides/requires college credit, see Scott, Betsy or Michael in Career Services.
Do I ever have to pay for an internship experience?
Some internships are, in fact, actually structured learning/working programs that set up experiences for you for a fee. This is fairly common with regard to international internship experiences. Depending on your situation, you may want to consider such programs. Check with Career Services to locate these programs and to determine if such a program is right for you.
How long is an internship?
That varies greatly. All Wabash-funded programs (Lilly, SBIF, Dill, etc.) are 8 weeks. Other program lengths can vary from 8 weeks to 2 years. Most summer programs average 10 weeks. To be of value and provide the necessary learning, the program should last at least 8 weeks.
How do I locate internship opportunities?
All internship listings we receive from employers are posted in WabashWorks. In addition to the postings, we have a number of resources that feature internship possibilities. Just like jobs, the best way to locate an internship is through networking. Our off-campus fairs, alumni networking events, and panels/seminars on campus are all great networking resources.
How do I choose the internship that’s right for me?
You should choose on your reason for completing the internship. If you’re in the career decision-making process, choose an internship that will give you a well-rounded picture of that career field. Note that it is not uncommon for a student to decide the field is no longer interesting once he completes the internship (this is a good thing – better to find that out in an internship than in a full-time job or in grad school). If you’ve decided on your career path, choose an internship that will give you the greatest amount of experience. If you’ve identified an employer you’d like to work for, apply for an internship with the organization. Many employers use internships to identify and groom potential full-time hires. When in doubt, always choose internship programs that are structured over those that are not.
Can I do an internship as a freshman?
Yes you can, but you will want to wait until the summer. Your freshman year will be packed with academics and activities. We suggest you concentrate on your studies your freshman year and complete an internship the following summer. By that time, you’ll have academic experience under your belt and you’ll be better prepared to devote the time necessary to get the maximum benefit from your internship experience.
Are internships only for the summer?
No, but most Wabash students do their internships in the summer. All of Wabash College's "funded" internship programs take place in the summer. Because of the demands of school, it’s usually difficult to balance an internship and academic/extracurricular activities. However, some local internships are available and students, primarily upperclassmen, do complete internships during the school year. Wabash also has relationships with The Philadelphia Center and Washington Semester programs, which provide off-campus internships on a semester-long basis during the academic year. These are the only internship programs that provide for academic credit from Wabash. You will need to talk with David Clapp in International and Off-Campus Programs for details on these programs.
How should I apply?
You will need a resume and cover letter. Both should be targeted to the specific opportunity you’re applying for. You will want to develop these before you start your search process. Download our Resume and Cover Letter Guides from WabashWorks, create your draft, then stop by Career Services for a critique. You also may need writing samples, a portfolio of your work (especially for art or other creative fields), a transcript, and references to complete your application. You can begin developing your portfolio on the WabashWorks Portfolio system via the Experience tab.
When should I begin applying?
Earlier than you probably think you should. Nationally competitive internship programs frequently have fall deadlines for internships taking place the following summer. Federal government internship programs may have deadlines as early as November (CIA, FBI, etc.) For local internship programs or those with smaller organizations, it’s best to apply in the early spring semester for posted openings since these tend to be just-in-time type listings (they want someone quickly). Application deadlines for all Wabash-funded internship experiences are in early Spring semester. Regardless of the deadline, we strongly suggest that you begin the networking process well in advance of beginning your applications.
What is a post-graduate internship?
For very competitive industries (ex: Advertising, Public Relations, Theater) internship experience is, in effect, required for entry into the field. You must have experience. Many of these fields also are rife with internship opportunities for recent graduates, which is a generally accepted method for entry into the industry as well. The federal government also titles a number of entry-level opportunities as internships. These are generally programs that rotate you among government agencies or functional positions to provide a fast track to management positions. These government internships are essentially an entry-level (and very good!) job.
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