Are internships required to graduate with a degree? I'm scared.

<p>I’m looking to return to college after a long gap of attendance. I have a 3.9 from a community college and would be transferring – most likely into one of those “dead-end” liberal arts degrees (I hate that description), with a dual minor in English and PoliSci. The school I’m considering attending requires you to pick two concentrations, one in Humanities and one in Social Sciences. I’d be going with English since about 95% of my Associate’s transcript consists of English courses anyway, and it’d more than streamline the transition.</p>

<p>The fear I have is of being required to apply for internships and/or do community service as a requisite for obtaining my bachelor’s degree. I’m an introverted bookworm who took one course at the community college that involved community service, and utterly hated it – swore I’d never, ever do it again. My parents made me do it even though there was an option to write a paper instead, not because they wanted me to be more outgoing but because I was already getting ill from academic burnout. They were right that I was already swamped with paperwork and wouldn’t want another assignment. But I figure that in terms of school, the bare minimum with something like this ought to be enough and that once you’re done, you’re done. I felt like a criminal who’d been sentenced to community service as rehabilitation. I didn’t shoot anyone, so why shouldn’t I be allowed to just study?</p>

<p>But I’ve read in different places that Obama (my own reservations about his time in office aside) wants to make community service and/or internships a requirement, and Romney is gung-ho about internships especially. But the whole idea just terrifies me. (Not surprisingly, so does having to go to work.) I just want to go to college to do my studies, turn in my papers and go home, not to get involved with clubs or schmoozing or handshaking at job fairs (fake, fake, fake). I’m much too shy anyway, and really feel it would compromise my academics – like I said, a 3.9 is phenomenal, and I fear I’d drop to a 3.5 or below were I to be overburdened with the whole networking thing. Do all schools require you to apply for internships? If so, is it the kind of thing I can hold off on until the very end and get my real studies out of the way, get it over with in the summertime or something?</p>

<p>Have a look at these ([school</a> 1,](<a href=“http://www.umassd.edu/"]school”>http://www.umassd.edu/) [school</a> 2,](<a href=“http://www.bridgew.edu/"]school”>http://www.bridgew.edu/) [school</a> 3](<a href=“http://www.ric.edu/"]school”>http://www.ric.edu/)) and tell me if out-of-class involvement/internships are an absolute requirement for obtaining a degree. I’ve already decided I’m not going to grad school because it’s overkill. I’m going to be an English major and think an MFA is a snobby waste of time, at least for me it is. I’m a working-class regular gal who, even though I’m intelligent (book-smart), wouldn’t fit in personality-wise with intellectual “academia.” But I just know having to be a schmoozer at job fairs is just not right for me either.</p>

<p>You don’t need to complete an internship but it’s good experience and isn’t too time consuming in the long run.</p>

<p>Good that I don’t need to. It’s not even so much about “time-consuming” as it is about how jarring the experience would likely be, and would break my concentration on book work.</p>

<p>If I am going to go back, I probably should hurry up and get the 4-year degree over with before the gubbermint sticks its hands in the education system and puts a gun to my head about it. I know I’m in the minority in that most students hope to get one and I’m running the opposite direction. But I’m sort of an odd recluse to begin with. If I weren’t a Luddite along with that I’d opt for an online degree and just hide in my bedroom all the time. ;)</p>

<p>I’m confused by this post. You say you’re a working class gal, but you’re afraid to work, or have an internship, and all you want to do is “go to college, turn in your papers and go home.”</p>

<p>So what’s the point of your going to college if you are not involved in your major? You say you are majoring in English, but you “wouldn’t fit in with academia”. You don’t seem to want or value your contribution to society. How will you ever support yourself?</p>

<p>No, you don’t HAVE to do an internship, but I don’t think you really understand what that is.</p>

<p>First of all, it is a position in which you “try on” your intended occupation. Some internships are paid, some are not. Most internships require you to go through an interview process, but generally, they are kind and lead you through the steps.
It’s not usually a volunteer position working in something in which you are uncomfortable or dislike. </p>

<p>As an English major, you might have an internship with a writer, who shows you the “ins and outs” of publishing a book. As an English major you might have to proof copy online for various companies. You might intern with movie companies to proof dialogue. An internship is not something to fear. </p>

<p>My DD is an EE major, she’s done 2 years of internships with major defense contractors and loved the experience. Plus she got paid really, really well! Now she has experience that she can put on her resume!</p>

<p>Seriously though, you need to evaluate why you aren’t taking advantage of your university experience.</p>

<p>I hope this isn’t a ■■■■■ thread…</p>

<p>Short answer: Yes. Yes it is. If you are a pre health professional, you MUST have some volunteer/research experience. If you’re in business/accounting, you MUST have some sort of legitimate internship with a company. If you are engineering, you MUST have an internship with a company doing engineering related work.</p>

<p>Do you know what a job is? It’s 1 really long ass internship.</p>

<p>How do you expect to get a job if you’re afraid to even get an internship? While internships aren’t always required (sometimes they are) to get a degree, if you want a good chance of getting a job after graduation, you’d better have at least one internship on your resume before you graduate.</p>