Internships
Real-World Experiences to Enhance Your Resume
Internships not only enrich your academic journey, but also allow you to immerse yourself in the day-to-day life of your field prior to entering the workforce. These short-term work experiences help you identify the careers and industries that best fit your distinctive talents and developing interests, while making you a more competitive applicant for the post-graduate job market. You can even submit an application to earn academic credit for your internship experience.
Finding and Securing Opportunities
You can intern during the academic year or during your winter or summer breaks. Our Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD) will help you discover and land these positions, guiding you through the internship search, application, and interview processes, and facilitating connections with F&M alumni, parents and friends of the College for potential opportunities. Through F&M, you鈥檒l also have access to the True Blue Network, a career network platform exclusive to the F&M community. Here, you can connect with alumni and parents who have volunteered to support student F&M success beyond the classroom.
Student Spotlight
An Internship in Paris: 鈥楴ight at the Museum鈥� Could Never Compare
Ruth Axford 鈥�25 never imagined that she would walk to the Arc de Triomphe to take
the metro, intern in the same building complex as the Louvre, or go to the Bastille
area for class. But she did all of that and more when she spent a semester studying
abroad in Paris. Axford interned at the Mus茅e des Arts D茅coratifs, a museum dedicated
to the exhibition and preservation of the decorative arts. The French and history
double major worked on an exhibit for Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. 鈥淕oing
through the finished product on opening night with my colleagues, seeing it all come
to life without Tyvek commercial wrap on the floor was crazy,鈥� Axford said. 鈥淲hen
we came out, the credits on the wall said all our names, including 鈥榓vec la collaboration
de Ruth Axford.鈥� I may have happily cried walking home along the Champs Elys茅es, amazed
at everything I accomplished in only four months.鈥�
Read More 禄Course Spotlight
How Alumni and an F&M Course Connected Students With Government Internships
Thanks to an experiential learning course and numerous alumni connections in Pennsylvania鈥檚
capital city of Harrisburg, several F&M students gained hands-on experience in public
affairs. The F&M in Harrisburg Practicum included coursework on Pennsylvania鈥檚 government
and matched students with internship opportunities to provide a deeper understanding
of government bureaucracy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to understand the academic perspective
and the theories about how the government is supposed to operate, and it鈥檚 another
to see it firsthand,鈥� said Stephen Medvic, F&M Honorable and Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor
of Government. Medvic noted that F&M alumni in Harrisburg helped identify many of
the internship opportunities with which students were matched. 鈥淚n almost all cases,
we had F&M connections,鈥� he said.
Read More 禄Student Spotlight
鈥淔or every content animal, there is a team of keepers working around the clock to
ensure the best care.鈥�
Lauren Velazquez '26 spent a summer learning about animal behavior during an internship
at the Bergen County Zoo in Paramus, N.J. Velazquez鈥檚 internship focused on animal
welfare and enrichment, which Velazquez said encompassed a wide variety of daily tasks,
鈥渇rom participating in owl research to putting sunscreen on potbellied pigs.鈥� Velazquez
worked closely with F&M alumna Victoria O鈥機onnor 鈥�16, the zoo鈥檚 supervisor of enrichment,
training and welfare. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much that goes into keeping the animals happy and
healthy,鈥� Velazquez said. 鈥淔or every content animal, there is a team of keepers working
around the clock to ensure the best care.鈥�
Read More 禄
Summer Experience Funds
OSPGD advisers can also direct you to generous donor funding that can help offset the financial burden of an unpaid or underpaid summer experience. These funds empower you to seek a wide variety of opportunities, giving you flexibility to choose internships that typically are unpaid or minimally paid.
See How Diplomats Are Exploring Their Passions
April 29, 2024
F&M in Harrisburg Offers Firsthand Look at Careers in Government
F&M students gained hands-on experience in public affairs through the F&M in Harrisburg Practicum, which matched students with internship opportunities.
April 17, 2024
My Student Experience: 'Night at the Museum' Could Never Compare
As a double major in French and history, people ask Ruth Axford, "What are you going to do with that?" How about spending a study abroad working in a Paris museum.
December 7, 2023
Students Take on Climate Change Beyond the Classroom
F&M students are inspiring climate action in unconventional ways. From internships to advocacy on campus, meet students making sustainability a more accessible concept.