Degrees are great, but internships make a difference

A).Traditionally, earning a college degree has been cause for celebration. For most, the achievement
Signaled the onset of adulthood and offered the promise of a career that would start in mere months, if
Not weeks. But in today's job market, undergraduates who leave school armed only with a degree may
not be so fortunate.
B).In 2000, more than 1.2 million people received bachelor's degrees in the United States. This year,
That number is expected to rise 30 percent to more than 1.6 million, according to estimates by the
National Center for Education Statistics. That hike(突然提高) has far outpaced the country's
Increase in population over the past decade, tripling the Census Bureau's projected rate of population
Growth over the same period. "With the increased number of students, if I'm an employer or a medical
School or business school, finding a student who has a good GPA isn't particularly tough anymore,"
Says Dan Gomez-Palacio, assistant director of career services at Westminster College in Missouri. "
So, what is going to separate you from your peers?"
C).The answer: internships(实习). University officials and employers almost universally maintain
That partaking in an internship-or several, which sets a student apart from his peers even more-before
Graduation is integral to finding meaningful employment in today's seemingly impenetrable job
Market. More than ever, schools across the country are pushing students of all majors toward
Internships, and several have even added them to their graduation requirements. "These internships
Give these students an edge that they would not have otherwise," says Patricia Cormier, president of
Longwood University in Virginia, which requires an internship of all graduates. "It always amazes me
That higher education didn't think of this sooner. For me it's a no-brainer. If you are going to position
Your students well, you've got to give them this exposure before they graduate."
D).Longwood, with an enrollment of roughly 4,800, saw 74 percent of their 2008 graduating class
Attain jobs within six months of graduation, despite the fact that students were thrust into one of the
Worst job markets on record. Two years ago, officials at Eastern Connecticut State University decided to
institute a pre-professional experience requirement for students. Rhona Free, vice president of academic
affairs at Eastern Connecticut, says the school wants not only to educate students but to prepare them
For their working lives after school through experience-based learning. "Students worry, 'if I'm an
English major, can I get a job?'" she says. "We want them to know that before they leave here, they will
Have been in a setting that's like one they'll go to work in."
E).While smaller schools are able to ensure their students can meet the internship requirement by
Forming partnerships with local companies and working one-on-one with students to facilitate their
Hunt for internship, the task is more daunting for larger schools. Finding an employer base near a large
University that can support the influx(涌入) of thousands of interns is a daunting, if not impossible, task.
For that reason, many large schools have shied away from requiring internships but still take pains to
Make the importance of work experience known to their students. Plus, some programs within large
Institutions do require internships. It's a common practice in fields where prior work experience is
Integral to the hiring process, like business and journalism.
F).The college of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University in Pennsylvania does not require
Internships, but students are emailed a weekly list of internship openings and are constantly reminded
Of their importance. The college's website even proclaims:"INTERNSHIPS... don't leave Villanova without
One." Such marketing efforts have paid off. The school has seen a 30-percent jump in enrollment in internships in the past three years alone. Such efforts are lauded(称赞) by large employers that hire a bulk of their interns. Accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers, for instance, draws more than 70 percent of its new hires from its internship program. "Schools that focus on accommodating internships as part of their course curriculum position their students very well for future employment," says Holly Paul, national recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCooper.
G).Recent graduated who are listened to such advice are reaping the rewards. Ryan Mossman, who graduated from Boston College with a degree in English in May 2009, said that although Boston College did not require that he take an internship, the school regularly emphasized their importance. After a discouraging job search in the months leading up to his graduation, Mossman decided an internship was the best, if not the only, way for him to launch his career. Instead of aimlessly searching for job openings as he claimed many of his peers did after graduation, he took an internship at LVM Group, a public-relations firm, soon after graduating. The internship eventually led to a full-time position as an assistant account executive with the company. Meanwhile, he says many of his friends sit at home with their degrees, waiting for a job to fall in their laps. "Had I not taken a post-graduation internship, I think I'd be in the same position they are," he says.
1.The growth rate of people who received bachelor's degrees was three times that of population over the same period in the United States.
2.Nowadays, undergraduates who leave school only with a degree may have difficulty in finding a job.
3.A college in Pennsylvania often reminds its students of the importance of internships.
4.Universities across the United States are encouraging internships among their students and some even include them in their graduation requirements.　　
5.It is very difficult for large university to find a nearby internship base for its students.　
6.Ryan Mossman said that although Boston College did not require that he take an internship, the school regularly emphasized their importance.　　
7.Holly Paul, a recruitment officer, thinks highly of those universities that include internships in their course curriculum for their students' better employment prospects..　　
8.In the past, a university degree indicated the arrival of adulthood and the beginning of a job within a short time.
9.It's a common practice in fields where prior work experience is integral to the hiring process, like business and journalism.
10.Longwood University in Virginia requires an internship of all graduates.