As finding a job after college is becoming increasingly difficult, students are looking for that special something that will get them noticed when they graduate. Perfect grades and extracurricular activities used to be just the ticket to help land a dream job, but with competitiveness reaching an all-time high, undergraduates need to do more to get companies’ attention if they want to get hired. Students at San Diego State are looking beyond the beaches of Southern California and across the Atlantic for the answer.
The College of Arts and Letters offers a London summer internship program that combines studying abroad with the opportunity to gain work experience. Students in almost any major can participate in the eight-week program, and although the internships are unpaid, semester credits can be earned.
For $7,875, the program includes room and board, the internship and study course, transportation, university membership and field trips to some of the most famous attractions in England. Students will also have access to 24-hour emergency services as well as health, accident and travel insurance.
The fact that the program lasts for only a summer is a perk for busy students who don’t want to study abroad for a whole semester or year. Participants tend to be looking for a more flexible program so they can organize their work and family life around it without putting their lives on hold.
For the past three years, Maren Castaneda has been the program coordinator for the London-based learning experience.
“Essentially, the students outline what area of study they are interested in,” Castaneda said. “We encourage them to go into specific detail in what they want to get out of the internship. Once they get to London they have a short orientation and are set up with an interview with a company, and if all goes well the student gets the position. If not, they repeat the process until they find a match.”
Experiencing another culture and lifestyle will make for a summer college students won’t soon forget. Internships abroad are especially prestigious, which is good for students who are particularly interested in business, marketing and international relations.
“These kinds of international work experiences are a distinguishing factor on any résumé,” Castaneda said. “I recommend it highly for a student wanting to get into (a) competitive job market.”
However, because the program lasts for about half the time a regular study abroad and / or internship experience would, it requires more dedication on the student’s part. It’s a more committed course that involves going through the work visa process, which for the United Kingdom, is a particularly rigorous one.
For those who are willing to invest the extra effort, the experience is an incredibly rewarding one.
If England doesn’t sound exotic enough for a summer internship, programs in Madrid, Dublin and Geneva can catch students’ adventurous eyes. The International Student Center offers even more study abroad internships that people can choose from based on location and their major.
For the full list of programs, speak with an adviser or go to the International Student Center website and check out the Study Abroad for SDSU Students section. To find out more about the London Summer Internship Program, go to www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~londonsp.
For those who are looking for work, play and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, this opportunity is sure to fit the bill.
