Q: Would you please give me an overview of the English Department's Internship
Program?
Q: Aside from the work I'll do for my sponsor, will I have other responsibilities?
Q: Who's eligible to participate in the internship program?
Q: Who sponsors interns?
Q: Can I get a paid internship?
Q: I hear so much about internships. Why are they such a big deal? And why
would a sponsor want to take on a student?
Q: How will I decide which internship is best for me?
Q: What sorts of tasks could I perform during an internship?
Q: Would you please give me an overview of the English Department's Internship
Program?
A: First-- a definition of internships. Internships are short-term work
experiences with an employer (sponsor), usually in a career field of
interest to you. English majors and writing minors arrange with the
English Undergraduate Advisor and Internship Director (Steve Kunert,
Moreland Hall 220) to do an internship under Eng 410.
Interns work with a sponsor doing language-arts-related work and receive academic credit. Typically, students receive 3 academic credits for a 90-hour internship (9 hours per week for a 10-week term), but the number of work hours and credit hours can be adjusted up or down. Students can take up to 18 credits of internship, but only 6 hours can be applied to English major requirements (for majors under "Upper Division Eng and Wr Electives"; elsewhere for minors).
If you're interested in doing an internship, you should set it up the end of the term before the term in which you'll be doing the internship. Your advisor will give you the CRN so that you can register. Then you and your sponsor will, together, draw up a contract detailing the responsibilities of your internship. Your sponsor will evaluate you once midterm, and will evaluate and recommend your grade (Pass or No Pass) at term's end. Your advisor will keep track of the paperwork.
Q: Aside from the work I'll do for my sponsor, will I have other responsibilities?
A: Yes. You will be asked to put together a portfolio containing the highlights
of your work experience. The portfolio requirements will be determined when
you set up your internship. You may also be asked to meet with your English
advisor once midterm to discuss the status of your internship. You will write
a letter to her at term's end overviewing your internship.
Q: Who's eligible to participate in the internship program?
A: Juniors and seniors in good standing are invited to bring up the idea with
the advisor. She will, with you, assess which internship would be good for
you. In most cases, you will have a choice of internships. Occasionally,
your advisor may have an internship that she thinks would be, by far, the
best choice for you. Some of the internships have heavy writing or editing
duties. Your advisor does reserve the right to check on your mastery of the
basics of English by asking you to take a copy editing test. All of us want
to represent the English department, and ourselves, in the best light.
Q: Who sponsors interns?
A: The English Department has a core group of sponsors it has worked with over
the past several years. Currently the program is being "beefed up," and
more sponsors are being added all of the time. Some students have come up
with ideas for sponsors! Some past, present, and future sponsors:
Other internships are available through the Career Center (Administration Building) and the College of Liberal Arts office (Social Sciences Building). These are not Eng 410 internships.
Q: Can I get a paid internship?
A: There are paid internships out there-- absolutely. But the English Department's
goal is to make solid local (Willamette Valley) internships available, and
the reality is that many of those are unpaid. But another huge reality is
that, paid or unpaid, an internship = $$ in the bank for many students. Internships
work! They do provide students with practical work experience, experience
that can translate into a real job.
Q: I hear so much about internships. Why are they such a big deal? And why
would a sponsor want to take on a student?
A: Internships are such a big deal because today's job market is highly competitive,
and, to land a position, you will most likely need to have more than a college
degree. It is often said that related experience is the number one factor employers
use when hiring employees. An intern who does a good job may receive a glowing
letter of recommendation.
Sponsors like the enthusiasm and dedication of their student interns as well as the feeling of serving their community. Also, they get to check out prospective employees or just get work done at little or no cost! Sometimes an intern can do an important project for a sponsor, one that may not have been able to get done by regular personnel.
Q: How will I decide which internship is best for me?
A: Your advisor will help you with your choice. Any internship seems to be
of benefit to a student. But, by far, the ideal situation is where a student
has a hint of what he or she may like to do for a living and takes on an
internship somehow related to that field. The English Department advisor
has developed an idea called PATH -- Professions Are There, Honestly. PATH
combines various elements to form a "designer minor," with the
intent of enhancing job preparation.
Q: What sorts of tasks could I perform during an internship?
A: The internship must be language arts related, but those words can be broadly
interpreted. Our past interns have done the following and more:
Interested? Contact Steven Kunert
Office: Moreland 220
Phone: 541- 737-1643
skunert@oregonstate.edu