Taylor’s Table Talk: Internship requirements can be difficult to fulfill

All journalism students at OU are required to complete an internship in order to graduate. According to the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, internships must be a minimum of 200 hours in the student’s field of study and must be pre-approved by the student’s advisor. While the task may seem simple, there are many obstacles that hinder completion of internship requirements, and it’s not for lack of effort.

First, internship opportunities often require applicants to be in their third or fourth year of college. According to East Carolina University, “students can make valuable contributions in exchange for the learning opportunity” later in their education. While this application requirement makes sense, it also limits opportunities for sophomores and even passionate freshmen.

Some internship opportunities, such as short event-based opportunities, may not meet the School of Journalism’s 200-hour requirement. According to the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, short internships, called externships, typically last between “one day and about eight weeks.”

Although these opportunities are shorter than typical internships, they can be just as intense and educational. The minimum length of the internship further limits the pre-professional options that journalism students can choose to expand their education.

The internship requirement also diminishes the importance of other pre-professional opportunities, such as shadowing journalists and doing independent volunteer work for media organizations. According to the University of Cambridge, shadowing has several benefits, including networking and first-hand insight into different careers or fields. Journalism students may be required to give priority to applying for and completing an internship, turning down other equally important pre-professional experiences.

As indicated above, the internship pool is extremely competitive. For comparison, RippleMatch is a recruiting automation platform aimed at Gen Z. According to a RippleMatch Pulse survey of 3,000 Gen Z candidates, 57% said they were unsure if they would get an internship or job that met their needs in May 2023. Last fall, only 15% were unsure.

This sudden increase could be due to “the economic downturn and mass layoffs,” according to RippleMatch. RippleMatch also found that 49% of candidates submitted more than 50 applications between fall 2022 and spring 2023.

The applicant pool is more competitive, but the application process is also more daunting. The automation of the process, from digital applications to resume scanners, makes the process cold and impersonal.

In such a competitive environment, employers and talent agencies need to take more time to review and contact applicants. That would be fine, but applicants may never receive a decision from an organization. I have submitted several applications to which I never received a response.

Beyond the application process, there is a lack of paid internship opportunities, which can be a burden for financially disadvantaged students. According to the Harvard Business Review, 43% of internships at for-profit organizations are unpaid.

In addition, students who take unpaid positions may be worse off than paid interns. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, paid interns “receive more job offers and earn higher starting salaries” than unpaid interns.

Because a 200-hour internship is required to graduate, students may have to choose between an unpaid internship and paid employment to cover tuition and other expenses. Some students may even be forced to do both, leading to even more financial hardship and burnout. These problems can also be exacerbated for students who have caregiving responsibilities at home in addition to their education.

Students face obstacles when it comes to meeting the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism internship requirements, and many of these obstacles are outside of the students’ control. If the requirements were expanded, modified, or eliminated entirely, students could enjoy more diverse opportunities without putting their degrees at risk.

Taylor Orcutt is a third-year journalism student. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The post. Want to talk more about it? Let Taylor know by tweeting her @TaylorOrcutt.