Conversations have already started on how to host an externship in December 2023. Just last week, our staff communicated with three possible externships: a parent hoping to make a referral about a potential externship site; an alumnus interested in hosting an extern at their place of work; and, a student who has already networked with a potential externship host. While the excitement of joining the program is always present, interested parties often struggle to know what to provide for a meaningful learning experience.
A project-based externship provides the most in-depth experience where students can get a sense of the work at an organization and positively contribute in meaningful ways. It also can be difficult to create or find a project for an extern. Here are a few ideas from some successful externships in the past.
The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and host, Erin Younger P’11, had their Material Culture externs work on an update to the online “Storied Objects” exhibition, which launched in spring 2023. The externs were tasked with researching objects in the office and writing exhibit entries for objects the students were interested in. The research process involved reading articles, speaking with historians and former curators, and visiting the Archives of American Art. The project deliverable was a finished and complete exhibit entry.
Dr. Emily Johnston ’04, hosted two externs who contributed to the research being done at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Institute of Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship. The externs conducted a literature review together on sibling needs in pediatric oncology care and coded quotes from interviews of bereaved families who lost a child to cancer. This project given to the externs contributed to the overall work being done by their host, Dr. Johnston and her colleagues.
Six externs embarked on technical projects with Concord last year, working to implement a small feature on an existing application with members of Concord’s IT consulting team. Externs started with brushing up on different coding languages and skills. Then, they pair-programmed in an Agile development environment to successfully code and implement assigned features by the end of the externship.
What made these project-based externships successful? A specific objective for their work with a clear deliverable at the end of the experience. The students were given the resources and information necessary to be successful and a strong mentor at the organization to guide and assist throughout the project.
Now is the perfect time to start the conversation with our office to create a project-based externship. You can connect with us or refer an organization by completing our referral form or by emailing externships@carleton.edu. Registration will officially launch on July 10, 2023.