One of the many career development opportunities offered by the Dartmouth Graduate Studies office is the externship program – a day-long version of the more familiar internship. The externship offers students a short, practical experience in their area of research or career exploration. Alumni interested in participating and making themselves available as career resources for current graduate students are encouraged to participate. Students then reach out directly to those alumni and create the model and experience that works for both in terms of time and space.
The program has been running for 6 years, and was developed to offer students a career experience in context with an alumni connection, someone who shares at least some of the experiences of the current graduate student and who can reconnect with Dartmouth in a meaningful way. "I created the externship program as a way for graduate students to explore their career options while connecting with graduate alumni," says Assistant Dean Kerry Landers. "Graduate Alumni have generously responded in wanting to share their knowledge and expertise with students. It’s beneficial to both the student and alum."
Previous years' participants have spoken of the invaluable experience they had during their externship, both in terms of career advice and in terms of appreciation of the generosity of the alumni who gave their time to connect with them. "The opportunity to peer into the professional world provided me with a true sense of the work atmosphere and a more concrete idea about what an industrial post-doctoral position might be like," noted Kevin Johnson (PEMM, 2017).
The 2017 Externship is now accepting registration from alumni. Register now to be part of this rewarding experience.
You can read about previous externship experiences here.