Internships and Externships
Illuminating Experiences
Internships and externships give students the opportunity to experience a possible future career.
Interns do hands-on work for an organization, helping with day to day operations and basic tasks.
Externs shadow a professional to see firsthand what their daily work life is like.
Both experiences give students valuable insights into possibilities for their future, as well as the chance to network with professions in their field.
Emma Gross '25"I didn’t realize how many career options there were until I got to Bryn Mawr."
Internships While Studying at Bryn Mawr
Internships are short-term work experiences that allow you to explore your career interests by participating and observing in a professional working environment.
The Career & Civic Engagement Center sponsors a number of internships both on and off campus. It’s also the go-to for students looking for help navigating job boards, making the most of personal connections, or reaching out to an organization they love to pitch themselves for an internship.
Housing and Funding
In addition to helping you find the perfect internship, the Career & Civic Engagement Office is here to help you find a place to call home while you’re away from campus and from home. Colleges and organizations around the country offer space to students on internships, and the Career & Civic Engagement Office has the know-how and connections to help
It’s an unfortunate reality that some Internships may be unpaid. If your dream position doesn’t come with a paycheck, there may be funding available through the college. You might also be able to get academic credit instead of being paid for your work. Come in and talk with a counselor to learn more.
Internship FAQs
Navigating an internship for the first time can be intimidating, and you may have questions. Here are some that we find students and families commonly ask.
There are three ways to find an internship:
- Posted opportunities are searchable on company websites, internship sites, and job posting systems like Handshake. These advertised openings are typically part of an established program.
- Hidden opportunities are not searchable on a job posting site. Networking with friends, family, mentors, and alumnae/I and former employers is the best way that you can find unadvertised internships.
- Self-Designed opportunities are ones that you and organization create together. You can approach an organization with a proposal or idea, or just offer your skills to your employer of interest. This takes initiative and time, but allows you to collaborate with the organization in designing a project that benefits you both.
Deadlines for internships vary depending on the field. Knowing when and how certain industries recruit will help you plan.
Larger organizations like corporations, government agencies, media companies, and large research institutions will begin to recruit in the fall and early spring for summer internships, with deadlines beginning in January. Nonprofit organizations and smaller companies usually hire on an as-needed basis throughout the year. Most students are notified about summer internship applications between March and early April.
Funding for independently-secured summer internships and some research is available for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. Please visit the Summer Funding page to learn about the different grants and fellowships. Once you have confirmed a qualifying internship offer, you may apply for funding through the Career & Civic Engagement Center.
If your internship is only paying $1500 or less, and it will not cover your costs of living, you may also apply for funding through the college.
Academic credit is available for academic year internships through the Civic Engagement Praxis Program.
If you do a summer internship, you can receive 0.5 credits (credit/no credit) by registering for GNST 030: Personal Development: Springboard. To be eligible to enroll in the course:
- You must do either a full-time summer internship with a minimum of 240 hours or part-time internships under 240 hours, with a minimum of 180 hours (across 8-10 weeks).
- You cannot exceed the 5.5 credit max.
- You must participate in the Beyond Bryn Mawr Summer Internship Program, which is an integral part of the course.
- You can enroll a maximum of two times.
- You must be returning as actively enrolled students in the Fall semester. Graduating seniors are not eligible.
The Beyond Bryn Mawr Summer Internship Program asks you to think about how your summer experiences prepare you for life after Bryn Mawr. You share reflections throughout the summer about what you did and what you learned about yourself. Bryn Mawr and Beyond is the closing event that lets you share what you learned from your summer experiences with the Bryn Mawr community.
Many organizations and universities offer low cost housing programs for summer interns. Please contact the Career & Civic Engagement Center for a full list of housing options.
Learn about Mawrters' Internship Experiences
Externships at Bryn Mawr College
An externship gives you the chance to shadow a professional so you can explore your interests and learn about new opportunities.
You can coordinate your externship with your host directly around your interests and their schedule. For shadowing, you can participate in the host's regular routines, following them throughout their workday and learning about their career paths.
For virtual career conversations, you schedule a 1:1 meeting to discuss your host's experiences.
Externship FAQs
Interested in setting up an externship experience? Here are some questions you may have.
The externship program runs during Winter Break and Spring Break each year.
Registration for the externship program closes mid-November and mid-January. If you have not already coordinated with one yourself, you can be matched with one.
- Talk with your host and their colleagues about their roles and career paths.
- Tour the office, departments, or other organizations to learn about how the organization works together towards their goal
- Shadow your host at meetings, or while doing regular work.
- Learn about different equipment, resources, and guides your host uses to do their work.
- Eat lunch together.
- Debrief at the end of the day to ask more questions and process your experience.