Internships help students gain experience
Campus Times
December 6, 1996
Aside from meeting the required classes and completing a senior project,
many University of La Verne students must participate in an internship as
a graduation requirement.
Internships are supposed to offer students an enriching experience in
their chosen field of study, as well as open doors for them in the career
world.
"An internship provides a realistic look into the field that they're
serious about," said Dr. John Gingrich, dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences.
While the meaning of an internship is pretty well known, little is known
about the actual process of acquiring one.
Students of at least junior status are encouraged to meet with their
major department's internship adviser. Together, they will discuss the different
positions and employers available.
"We provide the needs of the student and the employer and match
it up," said Dr. Richard Gelm, associate professor of political science,
who is the internship adviser for history and political science.
The students then contact employers to receive additional information
about filling out applications, to get the answers for any questions that
they may have regarding the requirements, or to make any special arrangements
or to schedule an appointment for an interview.
For some departments, this process may work differently. This is the
case for the Biology Department.
According to Dr. Harvey Good, professor of biology, some companies tend
to call them asking for students who may qualify in certain areas.
Also, "every year, there are programs like research institutions
for the summer," said Dr. Good.
ULV students have a variety of positions that are available for internship
employment in each department, such as working with local politicians, as
well as working in places like a microbiologist company, a newspaper or
a child care center.
"We have a very strong internship program," said Dr. George
Keeler, associate professor of journalism, about his department.
Internships are seen by many as a good opportunity for students to find
out more about their majors.
"Understanding the nature of specific careers enables students
to recognize whether or not they want to pursue that career," said
Dr. William Cook, vice president of academic affairs. "Students learn
what to expect when they consider a career."
This is what happened to Julie McDougall, a junior communications major
with an emphasis in radio. She is currently interning at Virgin Records
and has been since September.
She arrived at this internship after submitting her resume and by her
experience interning over the summer with Springtime Productions, which
was partially involved with Virgin Records. She feels that it has helped
her in an interesting way.
"It has shown me the record label industry, which is much different
from a radio station," said McDougall. "I'm not sure if I really
would like to work at a label."
Besides offering the students a wider understanding of the business,
internships also serve them by helping them acquire hands on training experience.
"They are not actually getting theory knowledge, but practical
knowledge," said Dr. Gingrich. "There are higher numbers of learning
from internships rather than from sitting and listening passively in class.
Active learning means involvement, so they retain more than from having
other settings."
"It is a bridge between class work and actual profession,"
Keeler said. "You can make theory in class and applications in La Verne
Magazine and Campus Times and go out where they expect you to be good. It
is a confidence builder."
Another beneficial factor from having an internship is that many times
it leads the students into their first job after graduation.
"Almost always, people who participate feel it was worthwhile,"
said Dr. Gingrich. "I don't really meet many students who say, 'My
internship was a bummer,' instead I hear, 'It was great.' Also, maybe some
who say, 'Some things could have been better, but it was still good.'"
Dr. Gingrich added that since service in the ULV Mission Statement is
important for students, internships bring out values of the University.