With only a small percentage of open programs remaining, the Office of Career Strategy has already received more applications for this summer’s Yale-coordinated summer internships than it did in 2015.
Students completed 1,898 applications for international and domestic programs through Symplicity, an online interface for students to submit job application materials. The deadline to apply for most internships organized through the University was Feb. 2, though a number of programs will continue accepting applications into the spring. Last year, OCS received 1,756 total applications for domestic and international internships, some of which accepted applications through April of last year. The most recent rise was concentrated among international internships, which increased from 986 applications in 2015 to 1,303 in 2016. There remain more than 80 Yale-coordinated internships still accepting applications through Symplicity.
Jeanine Dames, director of OCS and associate dean of Yale College, attributed the overall increase in applications to more extensive outreach efforts by career advisors and the implementation of the student ambassador program, through which former internship participants communicate with other students about their experiences.
“We had a truly outstanding group of student ambassadors who made themselves available to answer questions for students about their individual experiences and also the programs overall,” Dames said. “Several of our ambassadors held meet-and-greet gatherings in the colleges and hosted dinners to talk about each country experience.”
Dames added that this academic year, OCS advisors held career workshops and resume review sessions in two residential colleges and Bass Library, which she said helped students learn about more summer opportunities.
Julia Bourque, who manages international internships and is the assistant director of OCS, also highlighted the ambassador program as a contributing factor to the growth in application numbers.
“[The ambassadors] have been wonderful in sharing their time to represent their past summer internships at the CIPE Fair in November, hosting information lunches and dinners and being available by email to answer student questions,” Bourque said.
The number of applications for domestic internships remains slightly lower than the total received last year. Five-hundred ninety-five applications have been submitted thus far, compared to 770 by the end of last spring. But Brian Frenette, who oversees the domestic internship programs and serves as associate director of OCS, said he expects this year’s final number to surpass that figure, as dozens of opportunities remain unfilled.
Domestic internships are held in seven cities across the United States, including Minneapolis, New Orleans and Louisville, Kentucky. Frenette said applications for the Bulldogs on the Lakes program in Minneapolis have doubled in number since last year, while applications for Bulldogs in the Big Easy — which takes place in New Orleans — have tripled.
Furthermore, applications for five William F. Buckley, Jr. Program internships, a series of programs in fields related to media, rose by 53 percent, according to Frenette.
Josh Altman ’17, president of the Buckley Program, said the organization advertised the Buckley-sponsored internships through on-campus posters and its Facebook and Twitter pages. In addition, Altman said, the Buckley Program reached out to relevant academic departments and undergraduate organizations.
Bourque said OCS used similar outreach strategies for its international internships, working closely with academic departments and student organizations to make students aware of internships that might interest them. She said the International Students Organization publicized international internships among its members and the Economics Department distributed a list of internships in business, consulting and finance.
While Joseph Gaylin ’19 said he was not interested in applying for any of the Yale-coordinated internships, he said the internship opportunities were very visible to students. He said it was hard to miss hearing about the internships, as they were mentioned in emails from his college dean, Master’s Office and OCS, as well as in conversations with friends.
Julia Kichorowsky ’17, who also did not apply for an internship, said increased discussion about the internships among students may have contributed to the rise in applications.
OCS is located at 55 Whitney Ave.