Lately there has been debate over the value of internships: are they really excellent practice for the “Real World,” or are they simply glorified coffee-making lessons? Whitman students report that, for the most part, their internships have been valuable and have helped further their career goals.

Each spring, Whitman offers grants for selected students who plan to complete an unpaid summer internship. This grant allows students to take advantage of opportunities that they might have otherwise been forced to pass up due to financial issues. Some of last year’s recipients described their experiences.

“For any type of internship, I feel the experience is based off of what you make of it, that is, how much effort you put into it, exploring and taking advantage of the opportunities available,” said junior Kendra Klag. Working with Whitman Professor of Biology Dan Vernon, she researched plant genetics to supplement her BBMB major.

“KUNC, amazingly, let me pitch, report, transcribe, write, edit, and produce three of my very own stories, which were subsequently broadcast across their entire network,” said junior William Witwer of his radio internship in Greeley, Colorado. He was very satisfied with his experience, which confirmed his interest in this type of profession. He was not the only Whitman student to gain valuable skills from a radio internship.

“I definitely learned a lot of useful skills such as how to write web and radio copy and also how to work some of the editing software. In addition, since a large part of my duties involved sifting through their old interview archives, I gained a lot of familiarity with the Seattle-area classical music scene as some names started to come up over and over again,” said senior Carrie Sloane regarding her time at Seattle’s KING FM. She emphasized that this experience really helped her pursue her interest in teaching and playing the cello.

Internships have also been a great way to supplement schoolwork for Whitman students.

“My internship provided me with the opportunity to learn hands-on how all the facts and figures in my science textbooks are created.   Doing research also allowed me to really use what I have learned in the classroom setting and has helped me build a greater understanding of the scientific process,”  said Klag. Overall, it seems Whitman students have been pretty lucky with their summer internships, but there are some exceptions.

“For unpaid internships, you have to know that you may not be a top  priority and that you might have to do mundane things like sort mail,” said senior Cindy Chen. Working at a law firm, she didn’t feel as if she learned as much about law itself as she had initially expected.  “It’s better to have lower expectations for what you can  accomplish at your internship; it’s all about how much effort you put  in to learn as much as you can.”

Even though she had a different experience than she had hoped, the internship still gave her an idea of what the law profession is like on a day-to-day scale. While Chen wasn’t completely satisfied with her work, others found great value in their summer internships.

“The amount of freedom to do real, meaningful work was pretty incredible and will absolutely help me towards a career in radio journalism/writing/whatever it is I eventually decide to do,” said Witwer.