Internships 101
Many students here at UMD participate in an internship at some point during their academic career to gain experience and explore potential career fields. However, if this is your first time even thinking about an internship, it might be difficult to figure out where/how to start looking for one. Well, look no further! This edition of the DSAC Digest will hopefully help guide you in finding your next internship!
Top 3 Resources to Find Internships
Handshake
Handshake is a great tool to browse job and internship opportunities that specifically fit your interests. Word of advice, your profile really matters so, add as much information about yourself, what career fields your interested in, and more so Handshake curates opportunities that fit you!
For steps on how to register for a UMD Handshake account, please click here.
LinkedIn can allow you to connect with people who are currently work/intern and previously worked/interned for an organization you are interested in pursuing. Your profile really matters here too; this’ll be these individuals’ first impression of you! Make sure to update your contact information, current skills, and previous job opportunities so others can see your full potential!
For more tips to make your profile pop, please click here.
(Psst! BSOS has a LinkedIn Group you can join that also showcase internship opportunities that may be of interest for BSOS students. Check it out here!)
Indeed
You may think Indeed is just for job searches but, you are sadly mistaken! On the website, you can filter by job type and modify your search to only include internships. Other filters include salary, location, remote/in-person, etc.
Give their website a look if you’d like here!
Other Resources for Finding Internships
BSOS and many major departments have resources that they create of internship opportunities they find and want to share with your students. Check the table below for your major.
Don’t worry if you do not see your major here! Reach out to your major department’s advising department for help or schedule an appointment with an advisor at the Feller Center to walk through the internship search together.
| Major | Website/Google Document |
| College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) | BSOS Undergraduate Blog |
| Anthropology (ANTH) | Internship and Career Development Website |
| Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS) | CCJS Undergraduate Blog / Internship Directory |
| Economics (ECON) | ECON Internship Blog / Internship Directory |
| Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) | Internship Website |
| Geographical Sciences (GEOG) | Internship Directory |
| Government and Politics (GVPT) | GVPT Undergraduate Blog / Internship Directory |
| Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP) | How to Get Involved Website |
| Psychology (PSYC) | PSYC Undergraduate Blog |
| Sociology (SOCY) | Internship Directory 1 / 2 |
Things to Consider
Before doing anything in life, you should always have your priorities straight. That same philosophy should apply to your internship search! Here are some things I think you should keep in mind before applying!
Time Commitment
When considering when to do an internship, it is important to make sure you have the time to do one. Organizations can only accommodate for you so much! If you already have your schedule planned, take a look and see your availability, as well as gauge what your workload from classes may be! If you do not have your schedule planned, at least, start thinking about how you might plan your schedule around an internship.
Internship Duties
Internships are meant to be an opportunity for you to determine if a certain job or career field could be a good fit for you. When looking at internship descriptions, make sure you are clear about the work you will be doing and ensure you would be gaining skills that you think would be valuable in the future. If you are confused about what internship duties may be, reach out to the company/organizations and inquire about the tasks internships generally complete.
Travel, Expenses, and Other Benefits
Is the internship you are interested remote, in-person, or hybrid? Is this internship paid or unpaid? Can you get academic credit for participating in an internship? These are all questions you should ask yourself before applying.
You can receive academic credit for internships either from your major department (to fill a major requirement) or from BSOS (to fill an elective). To receive credit from your major, reach out to your major department’s advising office for more information. To recieve credit from BSOS, please click the following link.
If you are seeking financial support for unpaid internships, please click the following link.
What’s Up With DSAC?
The BSOS Dean’s Student Advisory Council always has some amazing events planned each month so, what’s happening this month? Take a peek below!
December
No DSAC Events this month! See you in th
BSOS Dean's Student Advisory Council 