Career Development Office - Extern Program

Be a Sponsor!

We are delighted that you are interested in learning more about the Extern Program. This program is a beneficial way for students to gain first-hand exposure to career fields of interest. By shadowing alumnae/i in their workplace, students can begin to explore their interests and learn about various opportunities. Your advice and guidance in this shadowing experience will help a student to begin to identify potential career options.

Externships are offered over Winter (January 7-18, 2013) and Spring (March 11-15, 2013) Breaks and provide flexibility in length and structure of an externship; you could develop an experience for 2 days to 2 weeks.

Selection of the student externs will be held in mid-November and mid-February. After assignments are made by our Office, we will send notification of student assignments and the extern will contact you directly to make specific arrangements.

The deadline to complete your sponsor registration form is:
October 1, 2012 for winter break (the more popular time for students) and
January 7, 2013 for spring break.

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS IN SPONSORING AN EXTERN

  • The extern experience is as varied as the participants.
  • It may range from two days to two weeks.
  • It may be planned well in advance and include visits to many departments of an organization, or it may be quite informal, with the student simply following the host through the working day.
  • In all cases, externs and sponsors work out the details together for each externship, taking into account the students' interests and the sponsors' availability.

The following activities have been helpful to students in previous externships.

Working alongside sponsor or other professionals
This gives the students the opportunity to actually observe what a particular career field encompasses. Learning about the day to day, as well as the long-term activities, helps the students gain an excellent overview.

Talking with the sponsor about his/her life
Hearing about the sponsor's current position and career path helps provide valuable information to the extern. The student begins to learn about the different paths one can choose to take, and that there are many decisions one encounters after college.

Meeting with other professionals in the field
Talking to as many people as possible provides useful information about other areas and the varied opportunities in a particular field.

Touring the office, departments, or other organizations
This helps the student to see how different aspects of the same organization 'fit together' or how other organizations vary in their work. For many externs, this is their first in-depth exposure to the specific career field.

Working independently on a special project
A project which allows the extern to contribute to the sponsor's work helps the extern to gain some valuable skills, and at the same time can assist the sponsor with a needed project.