Experiencing Work: Summer 2008

In our 40-year history, The Philadelphia Center has developed over 900 placement opportunities, in every field, from which you may choose. You will be delighted with the wide range of choices you may consider. All the way from accounting to zoology! Currently, students are here in Philadelphia working with the producers of the TV shows "The Wedding Story" and "Trading Spaces" at Banyan Productions, doing research with a financial analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott, preparing for felony trials with the Public Defender and for murder trials in the District Attorney's Office, assisting in fashion catalog production at Anthropologie, working on the options desk at Boenning and Scattergood, helping in Premium Services with the Philadelphia Eagles, and doing case management in the Trauma Center of Hahnemann Hospital. While some placements require certain skills or academic background, for the most part your excellent liberal arts education is all the preparation you will need. Our placements, supported by attentive placement supervisors and monitored by a skilled faculty advisor from The Philadelphia Center, provide a richly substantive learning opportunity for you.

If you have an interest in a field that has not been previously explored by a Philadelphia Center student, we will work closely with you to develop just the right placement to meet your needs. If it happens in Philadelphia, we can generally make it happen for you!

What is the placement process? How will I find my internship?

Soon after your application is approved and you are admitted into the program, the placement process will begin. It starts with a personal statement of interest from you, where you describe the kind of internship you are considering. You will also provide us with your current resume.

Our interest is in helping you to find a satisfying and rewarding internship this summer.

All students will work 32 hours, or four days a week.

Are the internships paid?

Our internships are unpaid. That is a good thing! Our students have many opportunities available to them that would not exist for any entry-level employee. Depending on your placement, you could be included in on strategy meetings with upper-level management, invited on buying trips, or attend a conference or two. When you earn a wage, you are expected to be productive every moment. Since you are "paid" in academic credit, our supervisors work with you to create learning opportunities that money just cannot buy.

Students earn 8 academic credits from Hope College for their successful completion of the program.  3 credits for the seminar and 5 credits for the internship.  You should check with your own college to determine how many credits your institution will award you.

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