Wondering if US students are able to get summer internships, back in the US or in the UK. Anyone with insights?
Also wondering how their career services are in helping students get jobs here back in the US. after graduation.
US students can get summer internships in the US or the UK (so far), but the US is harder simply b/c of term dates: US internships often start in mid to late may, and UK unis tend to go well into June.
I wouldn’t count on UK career services to help you get a job in the US after graduation- but honestly I wouldn’t count on the career services at a US uni to do that for me either. But you will have a deep expertise in your field, and the US citizens that I know who have done degrees in the UK have not had trouble finding work. You learn a lot about doing things independently.
^above information is incorrect for St Andrews. St Andrews’ term dates ends late May with the term time lasting till June only if you are planning to attend the graduation ceremony. You will also be able to complete internships in the UK outside of term time under the Tier 4 student visa.
St Andrews has held US Networking sessions this January in New York and San Francisco and also hosts a Spring/Summer/Winter Work Shadowing scheme with opportunities across the world - including the United States.
The below is some case studies from the university’s website:
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-work-experience/case-studies/student/?sector=&school=&nationality=771
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-work-experience/case-studies/graduate/?sector=&school=&nationality=771
@Brit17, Your clarification that StAs is not one of the UK unis that goes into June is helpful: StAs does indeed finish earlier than UK unis tend to.
But my post is not inaccurate, and the start date element is still relevant for a US-based/focused student. In my collegekid’s experience, US internships start dates (REUs and Capital Hill, as examples) are often in mid to late May. That doesn’t make it impossible- there is sometimes flexibility, and there are ones that start at the end of May- but it can make it harder to organize when term dates end at a similar time (the same caveat applies to US students who go to unis with comparatively late term ends, especially when the final exam schedules aren’t posted until mid-late spring).
For US students one thing to be mindful of at St A’s, most undergraduate’s degree class are awarded on the basis of the last 2 years of study, the first 2 years being important for maintaining honours status. There is a good rubric of converting your 1-20 score into a USA GPA equivalent. However some US accreditation companies will take all 4 years of study rather than the last 2 and if you skate your first 2 years it could adversely affect your overall GPA compared to the St Andrews scale. It was not an issue for D1 but something she came across when applying to grad school.