Externship Day

Externship Day is February 4, 2025. Registration is now open for hosts!

Externships provide opportunities for undergraduate students to connect with Wheaton alumni (and new in 2025, with local employer partners) to gain firsthand insight into their workplace, job responsibilities, and career path. Externships let students connect with a professional in their industry of choice, begin networking in a friendly environment, and develop deeper connections with Wheaton alumni. Whether it is a life-long relationship or a quick one-day connection, Externships are a prime opportunity to connect students to alumni and local organizations with ties to the Wheaton family.

This year's Externships take place in-person in the Chicagoland area on February 4, 2025. Approval of host site registration is conditional on alignment with Wheaton College's institutional commitments. Students will be paired with approved hosts on January 17, 2025, to coordinate their Externship. See full schedule below.

Why Host?

Alumni have provided feedback that they would like to see Wheaton better equip students for life after college. While we have increased resources and training within the CVC, we need YOUR help providing experiential learning opportunities for our students. We encourage summer internship, micro-internships, and we also believe that job-shadowing is of significant value. This one-day commitment on your part will provide vocational clarity for students, as well as a potential long-term relationship with you and your team.

How to Sign Up:

By 11:59pm on November 27, 2024, click the button below to express willingness to become a Host for Externship Day. You'll be taken to a form where you'll submit information about your organization and the experience you will provide for students.

Please be aware that approval of host site registration is conditional on alignment with Wheaton College's institutional commitments, as well as dependent on student participation. Thank you for understanding.

Expectations of Hosts:

If chosen to be an Externship host, you will be asked to provide the following:

If chosen, we need you to protect this commitment. We will assign students to your location and have the same expectation that they will honor their commitment to attend Externship Day.
Give students exposure to your work, your workspace, your team, and other experiences that wil make this a well-rounded experience.
Provide lunch for the students who arrive on-site.
Create space for them to converse with you and ask you questions. It's alright for them to experience meetings, calls, presentations, etc. but we ask you also create space for conversation with the student externs.
Students will be traveling to your location. Because of the time required for this, we ask that you provide a minimum of 4 hours of externship experience.

Timeline:

October 1, 2024 - Externship registration opens for alumni hosts.
November 14, 2024 - Student registration opens.
November 27, 2024 - Registration for Externship Day closes.
November 30, 2024 - Host sites are confirmed / declined. Hosts complete a profile slide to inform students of their Externship site.
January 16, 2025 - Student registration closes.
January 17, 2025 - Externship pairings are determined and communicated via email.
January 17-31, 2025 - Externship host works with students to coordinate logistics around visit.
February 4, 2025 - Students attend Externship Day at your place of work.

"I loved hosting students from Wheaton, especially because my externship when I was a Wheaton student was so formative for my career exploration and understanding of my calling."

-2017 Alumni Host

Why you should participate:

In short, going on an externship experience will give you meaningful connections to our alumni network, and will help you see an industry and organization with clarity you can't get any other way.

Data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as well as our own First Destination Survey data indicates that participation in experiential learning opportunities (job shadowing, internships, etc.) lead to vocational clarity, and ultimately job satisfaction.

We also see Wheaton students who participate in experiential learning opportunities tend to have stronger professional networks, which leads to career placement and advancement at higher rates than their peers without such experiences.

How to Register:

Below is a registration link. This link will be available from November 14, 2024 to January 16, 2025. You will be given an opportunity to select which of our alumni connections seem to align with your career ambitions, and make a ranked choice vote on locations.

If you register to attend a location together with a friend - and indicate that on your application - you'll be given priority in location assignment.

Student Expectations:

Externs be a currently-enrolled undergraduate students at Wheaton College.
Students who register must commit to participate in the Externship where they are matched, even if they do not receive their top selection.
Students commit to contacting their alumni host once matched. Matchings will happen on January 17, 2025. We expect you to have contacted your host by January 24, 2025.
Students will attend one of two training sessions before heading out on Externship Day.

Student Extern Timeline:

November 14, 2024 - Student Registration Opens for Externship Day 2025. You must register before January 16, 2025. Register here.
January 16, 2025 - Student preferences close.
January 17, 2025 - Student pairings announced.
January 28 or 30, 2025 - Externship Training Meeting - 10:30-11:00am. Must attend one meeting.
February 4, 2025 - Externship Day!

"[Externships] help you get prepared for the next steps after college in a small, non-intimidating, manageble does. Even if your end result is discovering what you DON'T like about a certain career field, I'd recommend this experience for everyone!"

-2017 Student Extern