By
Ayse Guner
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Service gets students out of the classroom, into the field
During the past summer, some UA students worked one-on-one with doctors in laboratories to do research on neuromuscular diseases, while some others studied exotic plants in Tucson's national parks.
Through internships, they took learning out of the classroom and away from their textbooks to better prepare them for the real world.
Many majors at the University of Arizona involve completing an internship before a student's graduation.
"For any major, internships are important to help a student decide whether they like their work and to check whether they are on the right track," Bill Ruggirello, assistant director of career services, said. "Internships make you more marketable and help students put their foot in the door to find a position after graduation."
Career Services, located in Old Main room 156, provides services for students wanting to obtain career-related experiences. These services include assisting with making career choices, workshops to write resumes, interview and job search strategies as well as connecting students with employers for a possible internship.
Career services mainly targets non-profit employers to provide students with part-time and full-time positions so they can get the experience or finish an ongoing project in their fields, Ruggirello said.
They also organize career week - scheduled for Sept. 19-21 - on campus, which welcomes employers from various types of organizations and gives an informal chance for students to meet with employers.
During the 1999-2000 academic year, more than 1,500 students took advantage of the Campus Interviewing Program, according to the career services.
Part of the criteria that the employers are evaluating when hiring a student is grade point average.
Ruggirello said students with a low grade point average are not eliminated. Employers instead evaluate those students based on their experiences, skills and their social work history.
"GPA shouldn't only be the magic they would look at," Ruggirello said. "The realistic way is to look at their credentials," he added.
Pam Nicola, a Wildlife management senior, interned at the Saguaro National Park this past summer. In order to keep the land native, Nicola worked at re-vegetation and removed a species of fountain grass.
"We would walk by rattle snakes that were coiled up along the grass and we would hear them rattle only after we passed them," she said. "I recommend it when the summer is over."
Astrid de Bantel, General biology and German senior, interned at the Barrow Neurological Institute. "I worked with an incredible staff. They became my mentors and I gained a lot of responsibilities and learned a lot," she said.
Bantel also said her internship motivated her to continue her medical studies.
"Don't give up if you don't get into one program because there are plenty more out there that you might not know about that have a lot more to offer."
The web site for career services is www.uacareerservices.com.
