A common rhetoric surrounding the college experience is that you should go abroad. Whether it’s Greece, Italy or France, students are told that these adventures are special to their undergraduate journey, but it can be scary to leave the country for months and be far from friends and family.
UT offers internships or research labs where students can spend a semester in a new city, many of which can be done inside the United States. By pursuing these opportunities, students can get similar exposure to going abroad and also gain career-advancing experiences.
The University offers three different programs that allow people to go to another city while doing professional work: UTNY, UTLA and the Archer Fellowship Program. While these are open to all majors, UTLA focuses on entertainment and the Archer Fellowship focuses on government policy.
“Our goal is to help students develop themselves in whatever direction they see their career going in the future,” said Kate Uhlrich, the UTNY senior program coordinator. “It is a professional skill development program, and we support students in internships and research in New York City.”
UTNY is a two-semester program that spends the first semester prepping students’ workplace experience at UT and the second in NYC with their internship or independent study. Students gain a wide range of exposure to the professional world through the 1,200 companies with which they have partnerships, Uhlrich said.
“UTNY supports students in their application process as they’re applying to companies in New York and provides resources about working with recruiters there, ” Uhlrich said. “They take classes in New York that are meant to complement their internship experience, introducing them to people who work in New York and the industries.”
Students should consider the unique chance of traveling to a new place while also advancing their careers.
“It’s a really good opportunity to be able to work away from home,” said Zoie Goodavish, a mechanical engineering junior who participated in a research lab through Idaho National Laboratory. “Being able to grow individually and … have (a) lifestyle that’s more representative of a postgraduate life is something I really enjoyed.”
Spending a semester in a city pursuing a postgrad lifestyle can help people put their futures into perspective and gain insight into what their career would be like.
“You get exposed to a different environment,” Goodavish said. “You can kind of have a trial run of (whether) you want to live somewhere or not.”
It is also common for students to get paid for their work in summer research labs, with programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, which pays students a $6,000 stipend. Paying students makes these internships more accessible to people and eliminates worries that can surround airfare, housing and independent needs.
“One of the things I really value is being able to be independent with my finances and make decisions like (going) outdoors and adventuring,” Goodavish said. “I’ve been able to use that money to fund my hobbies and go out on the weekends.”
These programs not only allow people to experience a new part of the country but are also beneficial to their careers. You should not be scared of leaving your hometown or college town for a semester, but you don’t have to leave the country to live somewhere new. Working in the country allows you to build connections where you could possibly work long-term. Opportunities inside the United States can still give you those once-in-a-lifetime chances.
Healy is a journalism junior from San Antonio, Texas.
