What is an applied experience?
An applied experience is one that:
- Provides experience for students to practice skills beyond the classroom, often as an intern, volunteer, or student researcher
- Often involves a high level of direct supervision, training, or mentoring and exposes students to practices and norms in a professional field
- Offers clear opportunities to enhance self-knowledge, skill, or perspective on a field
- Can be domestic or international
What’s the difference between an internship, an externship, and a fellowship?
|
|
Internship |
Externship |
Research |
Fellowship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Objective |
Provides direct experience to connect career and academic interests |
Provides direct experience to connect career and academic interests |
Systematic investigation calculated to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge |
Provides direct experience or opportunity to conduct research in a chosen area of interest |
|
Activity |
Maximize participation with ongoing observation; enhance existing skills and abilities and discover new skills and abilities |
Maximize observation, with some opportunity for participation, usually in the form of a shorter‐term, focused project |
Maximize independent work and personal initiative through academic research |
Maximize independent work and personal initiative, through research, volunteering, and/or travel |
|
Reflection |
Develop learning goals and engage in reflection activities |
Develop learning goals and engage in reflection activities |
May or may not involve learning goals and reflections |
May or may not involve learning goals and reflections |
|
Supervision |
Provide close supervision with regular feedback and mentoring between supervisor and intern |
Provide close supervision with frequent formal interaction between supervisor and extern |
May or may not have a supervising element |
May or may not have a supervising element |
|
Length |
Longer‐term (at least 6 weeks and 240 hours) |
Shorter term (1-3 weeks) |
Can be either shorter or longer term |
Can be either shorter or longer term |
|
Timing |
Require sustained length of time, often over summer break |
Winter Break |
Varies |
The majority — though not all — are completed during summer or winter break |
|
Compensation (from host site) |
May be paid or unpaid |
Unpaid |
May be paid or unpaid |
Unpaid |
|
Funding/Award Eligibility |
May be eligible for Carleton funding to offset associated travel and accommodation expenses |
May be eligible for Career Center funding to offset associated travel and accommodation expenses |
Projects connected to academic work may be eligible for funding from the Office of Student Fellowships or some academic departments |
Fellowships administered by Carleton are awarded competitively through the Office of Student Fellowships. |
Why should I do an internship?
The National Association of Colleges and Employers, consistently demonstrates that students who participate in an internship or applied learning experience enjoy these benefits:
- Improved chances of getting hired
- Higher starting salary
- Positive effect on candidates’ self-reported career readiness
Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook Survey
What internships have Carleton students had in the past?
You can browse and search through the Student Internship Database to learn about companies, industries, and roles Carls have had in past summers.
Internships for Academic Credit
If you have secured an internship that requires you to earn Carleton credit, you have options. Carleton offers a one-credit Interdisciplinary Studies course, Learning from Internships (IDSC 280).
The course entails setting learning goals before your internship, participating in reflection activities during your internship, and writing a short research paper after your internship that integrates your experience with academic literature. If you are interested in enrolling in this course, please complete the Application for IDSC 280.
Internship-Related Independent Study
Note that you may also be able to work with a faculty member to complete a three- to six-credit independent study related to your internship for academic credit. This option is only available at the discretion of the faculty in your department. This is also the best option for international students who need to receive major-related credit for their internship experiences. International students interested in internships must meet with Liz Cody in International Student Life to discuss work permissions.