Skip to main content

Internships

This page contains: Testimonials, List of benefits of an internship, Skills and attitudes that employers look for in hiring interns

Internships can be formative, rewarding experiences!

(A formative experience is one that strongly influenced you)

 

Travis has completed several PHIL484 internships in a law firm and as a C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocate). Being a C.A.S.A. is an especially rewarding position in which you advocate in court for a child. As a child’s advocate, you solve problems, attend court, speak with the judge, write reports and look out for the interest of a child. It is a formative, highly rewarding 18-month commitment for anyone who is 21 years or older. Look into it early, and plan to do it as part of your degree!

Henry, a graduate of S.E.A.L., credits his PHIL484 internships with the position that he obtained a month after graduation with the Texas Legislature, and he credits his internship with his admission into a master’s level program at a law school. These internships helped him to distinguish him among the other candidates with equally strong LSAT scores and GPAs.

 

An internship is a partnership between you and an organization. There are no guarantees. You need to find the right internship and you need to approach it in the right way. The right internship can be a formative experience, helping you along your career path. It can:

• provide you with an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge you have learned in the classroom;
• further cultivate those skills and knowledge,
• shows you where you still need to grow,
• open doors for you.

Don’t just show up, actively engage the internship: take ownership in your contribution (be responsible and come through in the way that is expected). The experiences that you have, the growth you undergo and the contacts you make can fundamentally shape who you become and where you go from here.

To help you, the Department of Philosophy has consulted with companies and the non-profit organizations to identify some of the skills and attitudes that are highly desirable of interns.

When you apply to your internship, be sure to touch on the skills and attitudes listed below that are relevant to your desired position.

Skills

• Critical thinking: i.e., ability to frame a problem and discuss the issues and/or evaluate the merits of potential solutions,
• Strong writing (clear, factual writing),
• Ability to accurately read, and understand dense text: e.g., ability to identify pertinent information, the ability to be attentive to details,
• Active listening skills: e.g., identify and record pertinent information, and be attentive to details in a conversation,
• Excellent oral communication skills: i.e., speak clearly and concisely,
• Research skills,
• Ability to follow procedures (i.e., work within established program guidelines),
• Computer proficiency.

Attitudes

• Have a professional demeanor,
• Be tactful and polite,
• Be reliable and committed,
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic,
• Understand confidentiality and maintain the required confidences,
• Show empathy,
• When needed, be impartial,
• Be willing to develop job competency.

Speak with Dr. Raymond, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, or your make an appointment with your advisor about an internship.

A Modest Listing of Internships

1 Progressive Internships

(These are internships in which an intern can attaining different levels within the internship. The intern does not have to complete all levels)

Aletheia, The Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy at Texas A&M

Aletheia offers a progressive internship with three levels:

Editor
Executive Editor
Editor-in-Chief

Contact: Dr. D. Raymond for information.

Keep Brazos Beautiful (KBB)

KBB is a non-profit whose mission is to educate and engage citizen to help Keep the Brazos Valley Clean, Green and Beautiful.

KBB’s progressive internship is designed to cultivate tomorrow’s environmentally aware leaders. It offers an award (KBB Community Leadership Award) for those interns who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to the community. The internship has a leadership component; interns come to see how municipal, county and state level of government work cooperatively with a non-profit to achieve key objectives. Interns can experience all levels of a non-profit, including a Board-level internship. The three levels are as follows:

1. Entry-level Internship

2. Mid-level management Internship

3. Board-level Internship

Voices for Children Inc., CASA of Brazos Valley

Texas CASA’s mission is to support local CASA volunteer advocacy programs and to advocate for effective public policy for children and families in the child protection system.

Voices for Children offers two types of internships within the office and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

Being a CASA is a rewarding experience. You will advocate for a child in court. You will solve problems, keep records, attend court and speak with a judge. It is a great first-hand experience for those interested in law school.

To be a CASA you must be 21 years of age, pass an eligibility screening, undergo training and be able to commit between 12-18 months to a case.

Does bioethics, medical ethics or health policy interest you?

Open to undergraduate or graduate (Master or Doctorate) students from a degree granting program.  The internship time commitment is up to 20 hours per week.

For details, see here: https://www.bcm.edu/academic-centers/medical-ethics-and-health-policy/education/bioethics-research-clinical-ethics-internship