In my sophomore year of high school, I figured out what most people already knew: To get into a highly selective college, I needed to spice up my resume. Lacking personal connections, I contacted over 60 research facilities in search of an internship position. I received a grand total of two positive responses, including a reply from the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington Medical School.
The lead investigator, a distinguished hematologist, took a chance on an inexperienced high school student and welcomed me into his lab. Initially, I had no idea what was expected of me, but thanks to the researchers' boundless patience, my two summers spent working at ISCRM (pronounced "Ice Cream") confirmed my desire to pursue biology. Furthermore, the investigator's extensive connections in the field paved the path to another great opportunity at Dartmouth Medical School before I had even stepped on the Green.
In retrospect, my first experience at an unpaid internship was meaningful and instructive. Not every intern could say the same according to "Intern Nation" (2011) by Ross Perlin, there is a "largely unexplored distinction between employers who use internships as a far-sighted recruiting tool and those that use internships as a simple money-saving device."
This is worrisome, particularly for Dartmouth students, considering that a recent U.S. News & World Report ranked the College third in the country for percentage of graduates who secured internships during their undergraduate careers ("College receives high rank for internships," Sept. 30). As I read the article, I paused to wonder how many of those internships were worthwhile.
Our fixation on pursuing internships can be explained by our unique ability to tailor our academic schedule, as well as our collective propensity to distinguish ourselves in an increasingly competitive job market. The flexibility of the D-Plan creates more opportunities for zealous students to compete for prestigious internships, which we hope will allow us to gain experience and to add luster to our resumes. Our internship craze is also fueled by the College's support through programs and organizations like Tucker Foundation fellowships, Dartmouth Partners in Community Service, Rockefeller Center's public affairs and public policy internships, the Women in Science Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Yet our obsession over experience may lead to a growing willingness to cheapen our time and labor for an "opportunity" that may fall below our expectations and/or demand more than what is legal. Many students that I have talked to were not aware that unpaid internships must adhere to six criteria, including stipulations that "the employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees and on occasion the employer's operations may actually be impeded." If any one of the six criteria as listed in the Labor Department's Field Operation Handbook is unmet, the internship is legally considered a job and the student is entitled to all the rights as a worker, including wages and overtime.
Interestingly, the cheapening of student labor can be observed within the College itself. Many departments in the College and DMS make use of unpaid internships which, unlike programs like WISP or HHMI, are not governed by a structured organization. The student may take her own risk when agreeing to partake in an unpaid internship and hope for the best, but as a volunteer, she lacks the legal rights of a paid worker. In the worst cases, the College may be flirting with the fine line of legality and propagating the mentality that labor without compensation is acceptable.
In order to combat the cheapening of labor, the College especially the College's Career Services should provide more accessible resources to both students and faculty members to allow them to understand the rights and expectations of unpaid interns, both within the College and in the wider world. While many of us gain insight, we should not have to depreciate ourselves to gain value in the job or graduate school markets.