Beyond the Classroom: Summer Experiences
Brandeis students make the most of their summers by taking on a wide range of career-building experiences. This page is based on a survey of returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors, students in fall 2025 reporting their internships, research, summer classes, and other opportunities.
All these summer experiences help students build skills, explore interests, and expand their professional networks before returning to campus.
High Impact Summer Experiences
Growing Experiences
As students gain academic experience, they move from exploration to industry-specific internships and research roles.
Examples by Class Year
Browse more examples of student's summer experiences.
Finding Opportunities
Brandeis students found summer opportunities through a variety of channels. 3 common pathways:
Networking conversations with alumni, peers, and mentors
“Networking was definitely the most helpful resource - talking to alumni and friends in the field gave me insights I wouldn’t have found just online.”
Hiatt and Brandeis channels: Handshake postings, faculty connections, and major listservs
“I found it on Handshake.” “Hiatt Career Center advising appointment”
Directly on online job boards and employer sites.
“Online listings of companies by industry” “Indeed” “LinkedIn”
Career Relevant
70% of Brandeis students reported a summer experience that was very or extremely relevant to their academic or career goals. Summer roles helped students with:
| Career clarity/confirmation |
“It made me realize that this is 100% the field I want to pursue and the kind of job I want post-Grad.”
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| Redirection |
“After participating [in] research at Brandeis, I realized a full-time research career is probably not for me and I will be looking for other career opportunities.”
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| Applying coursework and building skills |
“The internship gave me real-world experience and helped me see how the concepts I’ve learned in class apply in practice.” |
| Global Perspectives |
“My summer study abroad… deepened my interest in health equity and how structural inequalities shape access to care.” |
Your Summer Checklist
✔️ Career Hub - Start with Career Hub, for help with industries, internships, job searches, networking, and next steps
✔️ Handshake Collections - For feature curated employers, jobs, internships, and events to support the discovery of personalized opportunities.
✔️ Research - Explore the Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations (URCC) office to learn more about research pathways.
✔️ Meet With Hiatt - Meet with our Career Team now to discuss your summer plans and explore opportunities.
Hiatt is also available for meetings during the summer. No matter your path, summer is an opportunity to take meaningful steps toward your future.
Learn more about how students spend their summers, in their stories.
