For a growing number of undergraduates in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, an internship is the answer. Interns often return to campus with a better understanding of how their course work relates to the real world and with a clearer picture of their career goals. They also see how an industry or organization they're interested in actually works, and they return to school more motivated to excel. While interning at Walt Disney World, Ronda Roemmelt designed topiaries depicting various animals. Along with providing valuable experience, internships can be a direct pathway to that first job.
Employers increasingly use internships to develop a pool of qualified applicants.
It contains more than 2,000 opportunities with more than 300 employers. Students can search the program by major, vocation, company, location, or any other keyword they choose. Internships can take students down the street or halfway around the world. Recent interns in the college have designed topiaries at Walt Disney World, marketed hardwood in Indonesia, cared for exotic animals at the Cincinnati Zoo, collected environmental data in Northern Ireland, written news releases for the Department of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg, helped develop a new coffee product at General Foods, and had many other interesting work experiences.