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Five Steps Toward an Internship
Student Advice
What are the two most important things you learned through your internship?One of the more surprising things that I’ve learned through my internship is that there actually is a large number of people willing to help students find a job or an internship placement. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and even lost by the daunting task of finding a specific profession to explore and to work with, but once you begin asking around and taking some initiative, people really do respond.
I also learned that internships are a fantastic way to really feel a profession out. Before I began interning for the summer I thought that a career in Public Health might be up my alley. And while I have had a tremendous summer and learned so much, I was able to determine that Public Health may not be for me. Before this internship I was convinced that spending time working at something I wasn’t planning on doing down the road somewhere was a waste, but I have found that exploration of different career paths may really help me determine my own path in the long run.
- Sociology & American Studies
- MassHealth Board of Hearings
Transcript Notation
What is it?
- An official note at the end of your Brandeis transcript.
- Describes where you interned and the semester the internship was completed.
- One of the ways that Brandeis officially recognizes student internships.
Why do it?
- To receive official University recognition for your internship!
- Future employers, graduate and professional schools will know right away that the internship was sanctioned by the University.
- You automatically become a stronger candidate for future jobs and graduate schools.
- The University can advocate for you should you have concerns at your site.
- You can help evaluate your internship site for future Brandeisians.
- This is a really simple process with an extremely valuable outcome.
What is involved?
Make sure you complete 4 simple steps. Detailed instructions for each step will be provided as you move through the process.
- At the start of your experience (no longer than two weeks into it), submit the Learning Agreement. First submit the on-line form, then mail or fax the hard copy.
- Get a Letter of Offer from your employer. Submit the hard copy along with the Learning Agreement.
- At the conclusion, file your Student Evaluation.
- Ensure that your site supervisor submits a Site Supervisor Evaluation.
Ensure your internship meets Brandeis criteria:
- Internship needs to last for at least 100 hours.
- During the summer, this time should be spread out over minimum 5 weeks. If your internship is during the school year, minimum 10 weeks.
- You are receiving supervision.
Transcript Notation cannot be filed retroactively, since it is linked to your official Brandeis transcript, issued by the Registrar.
Criteria
- Further explanation of what Hiatt Career Center is looking for in your materials can be found here.
Philosophy
What is the reasoning behind all the requirements?
- Brandeis believes that an internship needs to be a sustained experience, where you learning and applying specific skills. Supervision and length of internship are important to build a body of experience.
- Learning Agreement and Letter of Offer give you tools to engage your supervisor about a mutually agreed upon set of expectations for your work.
- Learning Agreement helps you make better connections between your academic and career development, inside and outside of classroom learning.
- Letter of Offer is an excellent professional practice, not only because it again outlines your responsibilities, but also because it gives you terms of employment (dates, compensation, etc). You should expect to receive a similar letter when you get your full-time job after Brandeis.
- The evaluation at the end of the internship encourages you to reflect upon your experience and think of strategies to apply what you have learned in your future endeavors.