Requirements for Completing the Course

Report From Your Supervisor

A letter and form will be mailed by the Department to your supervisor (as specified on your job confirmation form) near the end of the term in which you are enrolled. The completed form must be returned directly from your supervisor to the department.

This report will be the basis for approximately 35 percent of your grade in RMIN/REAL 4800.

Photograph of You and Your Employer's Sign

Arrange for a color photograph (a snapshot is fine) to be taken of you standing next to a sign with your internship firm's name. If several students are employed by the same firm at the same time, try to arrange for all students to be in the same picture. Write the names of the students pictured, as well as the photo date, on the back of the picture.

Photographs will be used to help promote internship experiences for future students. The Department may post photographs on a bulletin board, on the web, or display them in other ways to help other students envision the possibility of a work experience similar to yours.

The photograph is worth 5 percent of your final course grade.

One-Page Summary of Internship

You should submit a one-page, typewritten summary of your internship activities on one sheet of paper separate from everything else that you turn in. (in other words, your summary should not be bound together with your paper, journal, or anything else.)

Your one-page summary may be shared with future students who are considering the possibility of an internship, so do not include any confidential items.

Include the following in a coherent manner, limiting yourself to only one page:

1. Your name
2. Company name
3. Location of your internship
4. Dates you worked
5. A short description of your major activities
6. A short explanation of any special projects you worked on
7. Any other information that you think would be of interest to future students considering an internship

You must also email the summary as according to which internship class you are enrolled in. Your attachment must be in a Word file format or a plain text document. The subject line of your email must be: Internship Summary. For RMIN 4800, email your summary to the RMIN department; for REAL 4800, email it to the Real Estate department.

The one-page summary is worth 10 percent of your grade for the course.

Journal of Daily Activities

You should keep a daily written record of your on-the-job activities. Although this journal primarily is to help you in preparing your paper and your one-page internship summary, you must submit it to the instructor, as stated previously.

The journal may be hand-written or typed, and you may submit it in a bound notebook or on loose-leaf paper. Be sure the dates of entry are kept in progressive order. Entries in your journal should focus on your major activities. On days when you're performing routine activities (such as answering phones or filing), you may enter only a sentence or two. Entries should be more detailed for days where you are performing special projects, such as preparing a proposal, analyzing a project, or calling on a client.

Your daily journal will form the basis for 15 percent of your grade for the course.

Paper Analyzing Employer and Activities

The paper is your most important written assignment and will be scrutinized most closely by the instructor. The paper is to be based upon your work experience. It should be between 10 and 20 double spaced pages in length, excluding appendices.

Approximately 35 percent of your grade in the class will be based on your paper.

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Structure of the Paper

• Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper.
• Be sure to include page numbers.

As with any paper, you should write a good story. Tell about the employing firm, including its corporate structure, its strategic plan and prospects for the future, and your assessment of the firm's future growth prospects.

Copies of good previous papers are on reserve at the Main Library for your perusal.You should describe your internship experience, especially emphasizing important experiences, such as special projects you handled. What were your responsibilities and how did they vary from what you expected? What contributions were you able to make to the firm during your internship? How might the internship be improved in the future? Would you recommend that future students be placed with this firm as interns? Tell about career opportunities at the firm, e.g., which positions may fit you the best, and why. Be honest and critical.

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Interview Requirements

You undoubtedly will want to discuss topics in your paper with your immediate supervisor, but you also are required to interview a high-ranking (the higher the better) officer with the employing firm. A suggestion is to try to interview your boss's boss, realizing that your boss may be the top executive in some cases. If you work for a very small firm, such as an insurance agency, perhaps you can arrange interviews with a regional officer of a product supplier to supplement information from your employing firm's owner or manager.

Ask your interviewee about the firm's strategic plan and growth prospects. Which areas or divisions of the firm will grow rapidly and which will grow slowly? Why? What problems might negatively affect the firm in the future?

What are some good career paths for a recent college graduate entering the firm? These areas of discussion are only suggestions. Use your creativity and knowledge of the firm to develop your own list of questions prior to the interview. The interview you conduct should not be reported verbatim. If your interviewee is helpful, which he/she almost always is, you should generate plenty of useful information that can be incorporated into the body of your paper.

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Academic Honesty

You will be expected to comply fully with the University's policies regarding academic honesty. Please refer to the booklet entitled, A Culture of Honesty, and other applicable materials available from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs if you have any questions about academic honesty standards at the University.

Some Hints for a Good Paper

The best internship papers consistently are generated by good internship experiences. While the faculty and staff may help you with student placement, you are the one person who can make the internship a complete success.

Ask your job supervisor to provide you with a varied experience. Be proactive—ask for special projects, meetings to attend, and any other tasks that will broaden your understanding of your employing firm and the industry. Not only will your paper for this course be better, but you will be gaining valuable experience that will be recognized when you enter the job market.

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