Obtaining internships as an undergraduate is chock-full of value. Students get a fast-tracked look into their chosen field, and, in most cases, learn early on what they like—and don’t like.
Take William Snow’s experience, for instance.
His first internship—at the Philadelphia Inquirer—after his freshman year was exciting and challenging, and although rewarding, it helped him realize journalism wasn’t quite for him.
The next summer, following his sophomore year, Snow, a communication and political science major, would earn an internship at the mayor’s office in Nashville, Tenn., his hometown. He enjoyed working in local government, but something still seemed to be missing.
This past spring, an internship at the Penn Biden Center helped solidify—at least, for now—Snow’s plans for his future, hopefully in foreign policy. Snow, a junior at the time, got a firsthand look into global policy-related event preparation and management, as well as speech writing, working alongside former Vice President Joe Biden’s senior staff. One speech he helped craft was actually delivered by Biden at the Munich Security Conference in February.
“It was such a cool experience getting to research, learn, and write about foreign policy,” says Snow, “and then watch it come out of the vice president’s mouth in front of scores of world leaders.”
At the Penn Biden Center, which was part of Snow’s Penn in Washington stay, he worked across from the nation’s capital. Currently an intern at the United Nations Foundation for the summer, Snow, a rising senior, is working across from the White House.
“It’s definitely been cool working in such a bustling environment,” says Snow, adding that he’ll likely end up working in Washington, D.C., after college.
Sydney Schneider’s internship exposure while at Penn rings a similar tune, full of one opportunity after another, all integral to leading her to where she is today, she says. A 2016 Annenberg School for Communication graduate, Schneider works in New York City for the NFL—her “dream job.”
While at Penn, she interned at Fox 29 in Philadelphia, and Turner Broadcasting and the NBA in New York City.
“I gained a holistic understanding of how different departments within the same organization function together to create the best product or the most captivating content,” says Schneider. “Internships—and jobs—throw a lot at you, and you have to be able to be versatile and willing to learn about whatever comes your way.”
Regardless of the industry, says Barbara Hewitt, the incoming director of Career Services, it’s important for students involved in internships to develop professional skills—such as how to work with a manager, communicate effectively with co-workers, and show up on time.
In addition, it’s an “amazing time to explore a career field to see if you like it,” she says, adding that “taking chances, trying something new” is a bit more difficult to do once out of school.
“Internships are a great ‘try-out’ sort of thing, for both the student and the employer,” says Hewitt, who’s worked in Career Services for 20 years. “It’s often like an eight- to 10-week job interview, to make sure it’s the right fit for everyone.”
Career Services, which is part of the Division of the Vice Provost for University Life, has a long history of helping students land internships, and also tracking their experiences. Its staff, based in the McNeil Building, helps students with their resumés, cover letters, interview preparation, and networking skills, and its website boasts resources that point students to internship listings and funding. It also showcases, with facts and figures, the variety of opportunities Penn students pursue, often in finance, education, and technology.
For Schneider, she found Career Services’ offerings extremely useful, and particularly notes QuakerNet—a database of Penn graduates that can be searched by industry, employer name, major, or degree. (That’s actually what helped her connect early on with a mentor—a fellow Penn alumna—at the NFL, she adds.)
Last summer, Career Services introduced Handshake, a platform that allows employers to post job and internship listings specifically for Penn students, which they, in turn, are able to browse and apply for.
“It’s one-stop shopping for students, and employers, too,” says Claire Klieger, senior associate director for Career Services. “Right at this moment, we have over 10,000 listings.”
Klieger, with Career Services since 2006, says about 50 percent of current Penn students have completed a profile on Handshake.
“We are pleased with that level of engagement,” she says. “I think it speaks to how already plugged in our students are. They’re savvy, smart, and career-oriented.”
In fact, Klieger notes, the students are so career-oriented that it’s become increasingly the norm for undergraduates to pursue internships the summer after their freshman years.
“There used to be zero expectations about your summer after freshman year,” says Klieger. “It is still the one summer where you have the greatest flexibility, but we are finding most freshmen are keen to do internships now. It’s not as critical as later summers, particularly junior year summer, but we find it’s an advantage if they find something, which most of our students want to do anyway.”
Although many of the summer internship opportunities Penn students pursue are paid, sometimes it’s not quite enough for travel or high living expenses, especially in sought-after areas such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. In those cases, Klieger encourages students to check out the numerous funding prospects through the University, of which Career Services’ website provides a round-up.
Thanks to generous donors, Career Services itself was this year able to offer up to $3,500 to 68 students to cover expenses associated with their summer internships.
Klieger emphasizes that students understand the value of internships, as well as summer research and study abroad opportunities—“that message is out there, loud and clear,” she says.
“But I think there sometimes is anxiety around thinking really strategically about an internship or experience, and being risk-adverse,” she adds.
Instead, she says it’s less important for students to worry about something being a perfect fit, and more important for them to realize that no matter what the intern opportunity is, it will be a guiding step to life after college.
“Any internship that you do is going to give you skills that you can apply to other areas,” Klieger says. “All internships are valuable.”
