The impact of international internships on undergraduate college students\u27 career development

In recent years, a growing number of undergraduate college and university students in the United States have sought international internships. A great deal has been written about internships as a form of experiential learning and a great deal has been written about international study abroad as a source for global learning, but there is limited information available about international internships. For example, why do undergraduate college students pursue international internships? How do undergraduate college students describe their international internship experiences? What do students feel they have gained from the international internship in terms of their career development? Knowing the answers to these questions would help faculty advisors and/or career counselors/advisors to assist students in choosing international internships that would best help students meet their goals. An in-depth look at the impact of international internships might also be helpful for academic departments and institution-wide faculty committees to make informed plans for internationalizing the curriculum. For this research, a collective case study approach was used to gather in-depth data on the impact of international internships on undergraduate college students. Three cases were explored—business students, engineering students, and liberal arts students. Undergraduate students at two large, Ivy League, research universities, one in eastern Pennsylvania and one in central New York, were selected for the study. Fifteen students participated in one-on-one interviews as a means to better understand their international internship experiences. Five career services professionals who work with students in the academic disciplines represented in the study were also interviewed. An important goal for this research was hearing individual student voices and sharing their stories