Some students do not look forward to internships because many are unpaid. Clarion University can help students not only set up for an internship that pays, but it also gives students 15 hours of college credit.
Chelsea Kaufman, a senior at Clarion University, is participating in an internship at Dixon University in Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) works with the Pennsylvania government in executive and legislative branches.
“I want to get into public policy research, and I know it’s helping me,” says Kaufman.
“You don’t have to be in public policy to join either. I know people here that are in education that can see education at the state level. I know it’s helping them, too.”
There are nine credit hours for the internship placement, three credit hours for completing an individual directed project and three credit hours for the participation in the school process.
Students earn a total of 15 credit hours for the internship area in which they are enrolled. This is equivalent to being a full-time student at Clarion University.
Dr. Glenn Geiser-Getz, the faculty director for THIS, says, “Students do get paid $6,500 a semester. However, they are in charge of paying for their housing and the tuition from the school.”
Geiser-Getz says that this program is different from other internships because it is academic based.
“It is a professional boot camp. It is full-time work mixed with college credit. The skills you learn here can be applied to any major. We practice speaking skills, writing skills and public policy. Having any internship in your resume will set you apart from other applicants. With [THIS] you have a basic training of office work which looks really good to employers.”
Kaufman has only been apart of this internship since January, but she said she already feels it will benefit her future.
She does office work, and once a week she has to attend one class for three hours, but she said it is not like most lecture-based classes.
There is also a 30-page paper that must be complete by the end of the semester. This long thesis works in part with the academic experience.
Guest speakers from the state government will aid in the discussion in the school portion. The interns will have the opportunity to meet with their local representatives.
“It’s neat because I am learning more about government and can be outside of college student experience. I’ll get to talk to the representative of Clarion,” says Kaufman.
Kaufman says she also enjoys working in the offices as a part of her internship. She says that in the offices where she works, it is not just about making copies or cups of coffee for the people. She actually gets to work alongside them and see the progress being made. Geiser-Getz agreed with Kaufman.
“This is not your typical copy making kind of internship,” he says.
“The students get to write laws, attend public meetings, along with office work.”
THIS also gives students the opportunity to work one-on-one with the faculty of the program.
Every week the faculty checks on the students to make sure they are on the right track and also to see the progress of each individual student.
THIS involves 14 other universities in Pennsylvania’s state system. One student from each school is selected for the spring or fall semester.
To participate in this program, the students must have a 3.0 grade point average and must have completed at least 45 credits in their undergraduate studies.
“You get paid; it’s a lot of fun, and it looks great on a resume. I hope others will get interested in it and help get the word out. I still think not many people know about it,” says Kaufman.
Students can access an application and other materials through THIS’ main Web site www.passhe.edu/executive/academic/this/pages/default.aspx. Also, students can apply through Clarion’s campus coordinator, Dr. Barry Sweet, for the internship. Applications for next semester are being accepted through Feb. 26.