Whether poring over the pages of Experience or looking through other websites, one thing is certainly going to pop up in any student’s search: “Unpaid, must receive college credit.” This stipulation does not daunt the practiced upperclassmen, who probably started looking much earlier and also have the experience to qualify for the more competitive paid internships. But for underclassmen, and even those upperclassmen who spent previous summers employed in another way, many otherwise appealing internships will require that the student receive credit from the College. But as many students know, this kind of credit for internships is not officially given at Amherst.
The Career Center, which actually provides a lot of support during this process, does offer one way for students to get around the College’s ‘no credit’ policy for internships. Any student can request that a letter be sent from the College to the company requiring proof of credit. The letter, however, is very vague, basically claiming that students may receive credit if the student participates in a Special Topics course the semester following the internship. Some companies accept this letter, but many require something more concrete. Often, students must present proof of registration in the course and the name of the instructor. Many older Amherst students, who probably know the faculty much better than underclassmen, don’t have a problem gaining the consent of their favorite professor. However, younger students are at a loss when considering which faculty member to ask, since many haven’t spent a lot of time with their current advisor (which is often the second or third advisor they have been assigned before declaring a major) and probably have not taken multiple classes with one professor.
The system, while working well for many students, can be a stumbling block in the process for others, particularly underclassmen. The College should take steps to make it possible or at least easier for students to receive credit so that they can qualify for a large number of unpaid internships. There are a few ways the College can do this.
First: Officially offer credit for internships. While the credit given need not count towards the 32 courses needed to graduate, a separate, additional credit would allow Amherst students to partake in a much wider array of summer internships. This would open up every internship that requires credit to students without reducing the amount of study required during the school year.
Second: To facilitate the system already in place, the Career Center could introduce a way for underclassmen to secure the sponsorship of a professor for a Special Topics course. This could be in the form of a list of professors who are willing to lead a Special Topics course, organized by their interests and specialties. This would enable younger students who are less familiar with the faculty to pursue a field of interest without searching, alone and bewildered, for a professor who shares their passion.
Third: the Kenan Collquium next semester gives preference to students who interned over the summer. The College could offer a course similar to this that requires that students participate in an internship during the prior summer in order to meet the requirements for the class. This also would aid students in the internship process as well as including their experiences within an academic setting.
Even though most students have already secured internships for this summer, those still searching and those who will search in the future would benefit from a policy making it easier to receive credit.