Once You Begin to Pursue Your Degree, How Do You Put It into Practice?
Many students in Dornsife will participate in internships during their time at USC. Internships let you apply lessons from the classroom to real-world work. Students who engage in internships are able to try out different career paths and gain valuable experience and connections that will benefit them when later applying for full-time jobs. There’s no “correct” number of internships to have, but on average, Dornsife students complete two internships during their undergraduate careers, with some students completing even more! You’ll be given every opportunity at USC Dornsife to find the path that’s right for you.
During the summer before my senior year, I participated in the USC Dornsife Gateway Internship Program. During my internship with the Los Angeles Superior Court, I gained experience reviewing discovery material, observing courtroom proceedings, and participating in internal chambers’ discussions. Additionally, through the Gateway Internship Program, I was assigned a mentor, a current lawyer who attended the USC Gould of Law, which granted me the ability to learn more about the law profession before applying to law school.
Dornsife Career Pathways
Dornsife Career Pathways works to align students’ academic interests with individual career and professional pathways through exploration and engagement in curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
They work in collaboration with academic advisors, faculty, and alumni to provide a network of resources to address students’ professional aspirations. They strive to provide an abundance of career services available to all Dornsife students, to be used at their disposal from their first day at USC to after they graduate.
One hallmark of USC Career Pathways is the Gateway Internship Program. This program prepares students for life after college by providing opportunities to explore a career through a paid summer internship experience. Gateway couples on-the-job experiences with mentorship by a distinguished professional and participation in a seminar series designed to strengthen career preparation and skills. In addition, this program can serve as a pipeline for permanent positions.
