As you begin to explore opportunities, keep the goals and quality of the internship in mind.
The goals of your internship can include…
- Earning academic credit to fulfill major experiential learning requirements
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Exploring a career field of interest
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Refining your professional and technical skills and learning new ones
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Applying knowledge and theory you’ve learned in the classroom to real-world settings
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Establishing professional connections and networks for future opportunities and references
The quality of your internship will depend on whether it…
- Aligns with your major and career interests
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Fits with your skills and schedule
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Has defined duties and a clear duration
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Fulfills specific learning objectives
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Has an on-boarding process
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Provides routine supervision, direction, and feedback
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Includes reflection exercises to enhance your learning and growth
So, how do you explore the opportunities?
Start with these approaches:
- Follow internship announcements and posts from companies and organizations you are interested in.
- Talk to family, friends, faculty, and classmates that work for interesting companies or organizations. See what the possibilities are by asking lots of questions about their work projects.
- Schedule and conduct informational interviews to learn more about what people do at the company or organization. Employees love hearing from students, don't be afraid to reach out!
You can use the following resources to explore opportunities:
- Sign up for and READ the CEOAS Student Opportunities Newsletter sent to your student email every week. It's full of timely volunteer, internship, and job opportunities!
- Handshake - OSU’s university-wide job board with on- and off-campus jobs and internships
- Internship/Research Programs spreadsheet
- OSU Branch Experiment Stations Internship Program - research internships across Oregon
- OSU’s Marine and Coastal Opportunities’ Internships - paid internships focused on coastal and ocean research
- NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) - use search bar to filter for internships
- CEOAS REU
- Pathways to Science - search nationwide REUs
- IE3 International Internships
- Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars Program
- Student Conservation Association - short-term programs working in national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, etc. across the U.S.
- Environmental Sciences Internships - information on internships in this field
- Federal Government Agencies - Pathways for Students