The 'Write' Opportunity: Internships Offer an Advantage to EnglishStudents

VALDOSTA -- According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, college graduates who intern during college advance quicker in the job market than graduates who do not complete internships. Internships give students hands-on experience and the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to employers, which is why Valdosta State University’s Department of English provides several internship opportunities for students with an interest in literature, journalism, creative writing and professional writing.

Since 2009, more than 40 students in the department of English have completed internships.

“We look for internship opportunities on and off campus and then identify the students we feel will perform well during the internship,” said Dr. Pat Miller, assistant to the department head and professor. “When we select, we look for reliability and someone who will represent the program well.”

Miller said the focus of an internship can range from magazine and newspaper to design and radio. Students have had opportunities to work with Harlem Talk Radio, Southern Tour Magazine, South Magazine, The Tallahassee Democrat, the Institute for Political Journalism and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Students have also completed on-campus internships with Housing and Residence Life, Alumni Voice, Center for Applied Research and the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Through these opportunities, the students make valuable contacts and build their portfolios,” said Miller. “They take the experience from the internships and turn it into real-world experience when they graduate.”

Upon completion of an internship, students are required to submit a report of what they learned. Information from the reports is used to help the department ensure that the most up-to-date and useful material is being offered in the coursework.

Miller said that the internships have proven successful.

"I’ve rarely had an intern supervisor say that he or she wouldn’t hire the student based on his or her performance."

For more information about internships offered through the English department, contact Miller at (229) 333-7353 or pmiller@valdosta.edu.