SARAH STOESZ | ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Many Butler University students have already begun applying and accepting internships for next summer.
The College of Business requires students to have two internships, while the College of Communication also requires certain majors to have an internship. Some students decide to fulfill the requirements in the summer.
Some students also decide to accept internships even if they are not for credit. This allows them to gain practical experience to help them in future careers.
Executive career mentor Rusty McKay said the COB’s internship program has a 95 percent placement rate within six months after graduation.
“Employers are very impressed with the fact that our grads have had two internships,” he said.
McKay said many accounting or finance students he mentors started the interviewing process for summer internships.
Junior Haley Rickard is a management informations systems major in the COB. Rickard began applying for internships in September and received offers from two companies.
Rickard said she felt the COB prepared her well to complete her internship.
“Through Butler’s internship program, I learned how to best prepare for my interviews and feel well-informed and confident when I go in,” Rickard said. “And that makes the interview process much less nerve-wracking.”
In contrast, Scott Bridge, internship director for CCOM, said most CCOM students start applying for internships later in the year, and right now is the time those students apply for spring internships.
Although CCOM students are only required to complete one internship, Bridge said it is beneficial to complete more than one internship, even if the student does not pay to receive credit.
“The best students are going to do multiple internships, whether they are required or not,” he said. “If you are planning on going out into the real world, you need to do as many internships as you possibly can. I am a firm believer in that because not only does it give you practical experience, it also expands the number of contacts that you make.”
Bridge said all students should consider doing an internship.
“If an internship isn’t required,” he said, “you are nuts if you don’t do an internship anyway.”
