Your brain on externships.
Next Tuesday, April 30th, we will be holding an Information Session for Externships at 12pm in Classics 110. It will only be 30 minutes and packed with valuable information, so you should definitely attend if at all possible!
In the hopes of getting you interested, here are 7 great reasons I just came up with to apply for externships this summer:
1. It’s easy.
You’re already busy preparing resumes for internships, the mentorship and/or other jobs after you graduate; it should be relatively easy to recycle some of those materials into another application or three. The externship applications should be a breeze compared to the others on your plates right now. Unlike the other applications, however, this one is through the Career Advancement website—more details will be available at the info session on Tuesday.
2. You want to get out of town.
Hong Kong, a place where there are externships.
Maybe you’re already planning on leaving Chicago when the program is up, or maybe you just want to get out for a weekend. Externships are available from Omaha, Nebraska to New York—from Denver, Colorado to Hong Kong! What’s more, there is some funding available to help students cover travel costs for externships outside of Chicagoland. Make sure to ask Sara Bosworth about it at the info session!
3. You want to try something new without any risk.
There are a wide array of externships available in a variety of fields, some of which you might have found vaguely interesting but never seriously considered. Try a day with Scrappers Film Group, the Chicago group that made one of Roger Ebert’s Top 10 Documentaries of 2010. Or with the Exceptional Children’s Foundation who work with developmentally disabled children. If you want to take a break from humanities, try a few days with people and businesses in medicine, science & technology, government or the financial sector.
4. You’ve been meaning to go to ________ anyway.
There are externships available at some amazing cultural institutions in Chicago. The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Science & Industry, The Art Institute and the Hyde Park Art Center all offer externships. So if you haven’t had a chance to get to these in your MAPH year, now is the perfect time to see the sights while learning about potentially working there!
5. You want to make connections but hate networking events.
Everyone hates networking. Standing awkwardly in at the corner of a conversation that you aren’t actively participating in, smiling and trying to look hirable while quietly and nervously sipping barely tolerable wine? Yeah. The externships are a free and easy way to get tons of one-on-one time with alumni in fascinating careers at their places of work. You don’t have to pretend small-talk over cheese; just go with lots of questions and end up with valuable contacts.
Literally me, on your back about externships.
6. You are tired of talking to us about it.
This could be a great way to get advice about life after MAPH from alumni who, I don’t know, don’t still work at MAPH. Not to knock myself and the other staff, but we only have so much insight (a LOT, but not an infinite amount) to give on how you can instrumentalize your degree. This is a great, low-stress way to hear about the logistical possibilities of different career trajectories. Plus, there’s the added bonus of getting us off your freaking back about it!
7. You will be out of school in 8 weeks.
Remember what I said about getting us off your back? I know you’re tired of hearing about this by now, and you might feel swamped with thesis and coursework and everything else, but I am urging you to do everything you possibly can starting now to get ready for next year. I promise you will feel so much better if you have an externship or two lined up for the summer. They aren’t jobs, but they’re certainly a step in the right direction—and a heck of a lot easier to get!
If this post has done anything to pique your interest, come by the office. We have info sheets detailing some of the available externships as well as information on applying. And of course, be sure to come to Classics 110 next Tuesday for the info session. See you there!