Slice of MIT Headlines

You’ll Never Look at Bananas the Same Way Again

Invention kit turns ordinary objects, even yourself, into touchpads and keyboard keys.

The Search for Number 17

Professor Patrick Henry Winston ’65, SM ’67, PhD ’70 In the end, it wasn’t all that hard. As a...

Photo of the Week by Owen Franken ’68—May 19, 2012

Franken Photo of the Week: Coffee at the end of a meal, Le Grand Vefour, Paris

Student Externship FAQs

Get Answers to Your Externship Questions

Mark Zhang '13 (right) shows off part of Sifteo's alternative gaming system with David MerrillMark Zhang '13 (right) shows off part of Sifteo's alternative gaming system with David Merrill, company president and cofounder (with Jeevan Kalanithi SM '07). Read more about it at Slice of MIT

General questions

 

What is an externship?

An externship gives students the opportunity to explore a specific career path, gain marketable job experience, and make professional connections by working with alumni during MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP), January 9-February 3, 2012. Students join alumni in their workplace for a week or the entire length of IAP, depending on the needs of the sponsor and student, and collaborate on various projects.  

Where are externships offered?

Externship opportunities are offered by alumni in a wide range of professions primarily in the Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC areas. A number of international opportunities will be offered this year as well.

What externships are being offered?

The Student/Alumni Externship Program has opportunities in many fields, including financial services, health care and medicine, management consulting, and engineering. For example, a student could be doing cancer/molecular biology research at a large medical center, working in urban planning, spending time on the trading floor of the NYSE, or pitching in at a start-up.

Will I be paid?

Unless otherwise indicated, an externship is an unpaid position and students are expected to pay all of their own expenses associated with participating in the program. Last year, approximately half of the alumni sponsors offered some pay, housing, or transportation assistance. Sponsors indicate this option on their externship listing on our Web site.

What type of work will I do?

In the past, students have assisted with research, laboratory work, data analysis, and software development, and participated in planning and brainstorming sessions with their sponsors and other staff members. Some students may spend their externship visiting different departments at a large company and interacting with staff on different levels. Others may be assigned individual projects to complete during their externship.

What type of experience do I need to apply?

All students, with or without job experience, are encouraged to apply for externships. Some alumni are eager to help freshmen with little or no job experience get a first hands-on experience in the working world. Others may prefer an undergraduate or graduate student with more skills and work experience. Each externship opportunity will include information about the level of experience desired.

Application and matching process

 

How do I apply and how many externships can I apply for?

Externship opportunities are posted in September on the Alumni Association's Web site. Students can apply online for up to three different opportunities beginning September 21. Students must have an Infinite Connection account to apply.

Where can I get help writing my resume and cover letters?

The MIT Careers Office provides tips and career counselors to help you write clear and compelling resumes and cover letters.

How does the selection process work?

Alumni sponsors will be granted online access to student applications after the October 12 deadline. Sponsors will review them and may choose to meet or speak on the phone with student applicants before making a decision. The Alumni Association then matches students with opportunities fitting the students' qualifications. The matching system seeks to maximize the number of student-sponsor matches. In some cases, a match cannot be formed, but every attempt will be made to do so. Matching occurs in two rounds. Students who are matched in the first round will be notified via email on November 14 and must accept or decline the match by November 16. A second round of matching will occur on November 21. Students who accepted and declined matching in the first round will not be eligible to be matched in the second round.

What if I decide that I don't want to be matched with an externship to which I have applied?

Between October 14 and November 4, students may withdraw their application before the matching process. If a student withdraws an application, they may not submit another application with another company.

How do I know if I've been accepted for an externship?

Once a successful student-sponsor match is made, the student is notified via email by the Alumni Association in late November. The offer is extended by the Alumni Association, not by alumni.

CAN i PARTICIPATE IN upop AND THE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Maybe, some externship sponsors are flexible with the dates of their opportunities.  If you want to apply for an externship that has dates which conflict with the UPOP January Professional Development Seminar, indicate this in your cover letter to the externship sponsor.  He/she will determine if they can accommodate shortening the externship for you. 

International and graduate students

 

What are the guidelines for international students?

Undergraduate international students interested in participating in the Externship must get Optional Practical Training (OPT) approval for their externship from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Only students who have studied in the United States for at least one academic year are eligible for OPT. Please read the information provided by the International Students Office and consult with an international student advisor prior to applying to the externship program. If you do not meet with an international student advisor to discuss your participation in the externship program, you will not be eligible to participate.

Graduate international students may receive credit for an externship if it is directly related to their research. Additionally, your MIT faculty advisor must write a letter supporting the proposal and specify the course number under which credit will be provided. Please consult with an international student advisor and receive approval for participating in the externship program from your faculty advisor prior to applying.

In most cases, international students are not eligible to receive financial compensation for their externship. Additionally, international students who hold an RA or TA cannot have any other work on or off campus.

What are the guidelines for graduate students?

Many graduate students must get approval from their faculty advisor prior to applying for any externship. If your graduate program requires you to discuss how an externship fits into your academic plan, make sure to meet with your advisor before submitting applications.

Housing

 

If I am accepted for an externship in another city, what do I do about housing and transportation?

Students are responsible for making arrangements for housing and transportation and covering the costs of both if they choose to accept an externship in another city. Alumni sponsors are under no obligation to cover these costs and should not be asked to do so by students. In some cases, alumni will offer to make arrangements and cover the cost for housing and transportation, and this will be indicated in the externship posting on the Web site during the application process.

Consider contacting area schools to see about rental opportunities. Use online resources such as craigslist , facebook and hostels.com , or use your own network of family and friends. Some students have had success by contacting fraternity or sorority brother/sister houses in the city of their externship placement.

If you have questions about the Externship Program, please call 617-252-1143 or email externship@mit.edu.