The application season is underway as college students look for internships for the summer of 2025.
Internships allow students to engage in professional learning experiences and can offer meaningful practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interests. Internships also benefit employers by hiring students who can bring fresh ideas and energy to the company.
Ohio University provides students with plentiful resources as they begin to apply for internships. From September to October, OU held Career Fairs and Events to connect students with potential employers.
OU is part of the Handshake community, a modern platform for employers to find talent for internships, jobs and co-op opportunities. The platform allows students to create a profile to showcase their experience and preferences when searching for an internship. It’s optimal for the application process and can minimize the time it takes to sift through internships that don’t apply to the student by filtering the location of employment and onsite or remote opportunities for example.
A crucial aspect of the internship application process is how marketable you can be as a student. Juniors tend to be more marketable as they would have the largest amount of credit hours and as a benefit to the employer, they can keep the employee in their hiring pool for future employment as a full-time job after graduation.
Stephen Conti, a junior studying chemical engineering, said the most rewarding part of applying for internships was receiving an opportunity to interview.
Conti began applying to internships in early October when the Russ College of Engineering and Technology held its annual career fair. He also emphasized the importance of doing your own research prior to the interview.
“It’s good to do your own research to see what the company does, what they’re looking for, different positions, stuff like that, all the benefits they offer,” Conti said.
He further explained it is important to always ask your own questions at the end of an interview to show that you are prepared and interested.
“There’s always a question or two that you can ask,” Conti said.
Student organizations can also prepare students for internships by connecting them with alumni. Bobcat Connect is a resource OU suggests students use to find organizations based on the branch of the Campus Involvement Center. Organizations can also arrange for speakers to talk to students about their career path and their current job to market themselves to interested students.
Internship credit varies based on individual colleges within OU and whether internships are required for students prior to graduation. The College of Business, for example, has a webpage for students to reference when applying for internships to ensure they meet all guidelines and requirements that regard to applying.
Allison Fales, a junior studying accounting, has previously participated in internships and spoke about what the process has looked like for her when applying to accounting firms.
“So it’s incredibly industry specific. I talk to my friends in other majors and just the hiring and internships are just so widely different. For even expectations of things like pay scale are totally different.” Fales said.
She added that accounting firms, specifically, are known for hiring very early in the year and being very comprehensive in the process.
Employers want to hire internship applicants off of multiple skillsets students can offer from taking college courses pertaining to their desired field of study. Being proficient in communication, collaboration and adaptability are valued traits that employers look for when students first apply and go through an interview process.
Fales spoke further about the benefits of student organizations at OU that can assist students in looking for professional development. She referred to Beta Alpha Si, an accounting fraternity that brings in recruiters for students to meet and network with.
“(Beta Alpha Si) goes over stuff like presentations and the STAR method of interviewing and all sort of basic stuff, so that’s really helpful. What’s even more helpful is the questions they go over that are accounting specific, so you can really understand more about the industry.” Fales said.
As internship season is underway for the summer of 2025 season, OU offers services to students which can assist them in making the application process easier. The online resources provide specific guidelines depending on colleges and student organizations that provide networking opportunities to students. Students can use these resources to prepare for the application process.
