Friday, February 23, 2007
PR student internship experience
A large corporation that recruits our majors recently suggested that Grady PR students have less internship experience than some of the other places they recruit or, perhaps, than our students used to have.
Troubled by this, I e-mailed my campaigns class listserv and asked the 29 students to let me know how many internships they'll each have on their resume when they graduate (all the undergraduates are finishing up in May; two grad students also responded). In 24 hours I've heard back from 18, and here are the results:
The students are averaging about two internships each. One had no internship, six have 1, seven have 2, three have 3, and one has 4.
In addition, many said, "...and I'm also the PR director for X (insert club, event, or nonprofit group)"; or "...and they kept me for two semesters"; or "...I also was elected to/selected for X (prestigious position on campus)."
Two internships plus campus activities seems like enough to me, especially because some also study abroad and take advantage of other learning opportunities. Do they really need more?
Troubled by this, I e-mailed my campaigns class listserv and asked the 29 students to let me know how many internships they'll each have on their resume when they graduate (all the undergraduates are finishing up in May; two grad students also responded). In 24 hours I've heard back from 18, and here are the results:
The students are averaging about two internships each. One had no internship, six have 1, seven have 2, three have 3, and one has 4.
In addition, many said, "...and I'm also the PR director for X (insert club, event, or nonprofit group)"; or "...and they kept me for two semesters"; or "...I also was elected to/selected for X (prestigious position on campus)."
Two internships plus campus activities seems like enough to me, especially because some also study abroad and take advantage of other learning opportunities. Do they really need more?
Labels: public relations, students
// posted by Karen Miller Russell @ Friday, February 23, 2007 
"More important than the curriculum is the question of the methods of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given" --Bertrand Russell
