To infinity and beyond the classroom: Internships & Co-ops

Internships and co-ops are a great way to enhance your engineering knowledge and skills. They are sort of like a job trial period. Internships are typically 10-12 weeks during the summer and co-ops consist of a summer combined with a fall or spring semester. The jobs help you find out where you fit into engineering! There are so many different fields and industries you can work in and this is a great time to try out a few.

The best way to get an internship or co-op position is to go to recruiting events on campus such as career fairs and company info sessions. I highly recommend attending these events as a freshman. It is a great way to learn about companies and practice interacting with recruiters. And who knows, you might even walk away with an offer!




Through my internships I have learned a lot about myself as a leader and I have learned a TON of valuable skills. This time isn’t just about what type of job you want, but it’s also about the atmosphere. Some people like big corporations, others like small businesses. Some people like working alone, some people like working in groups. This time is all about discovering YOU!

Don’t be nervous! Going into an internship or co-op they aren’t expecting you to know everything about engineering. The important thing is that you are open minded and willing to learn. They are fun too! Many companies have programs and activities for the interns. At my internship last summer we went on a camping trip and made and served a meal at a homeless shelter! Internships and co-ops are all what you make them. It is a time to learn, have fun, and discover who you are in the professional world.

By: Kayli Rentzel (Mentor Team M)

How to: Navigate the First Week’s Involvement Fair

The first week of classes every semester, Penn State hosts an involvement fair (this fall: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 from 11AM-4PM on the HUB Lawn). The Involvement Fair is an opportunity for all students to see and learn about the groups and activities they can be a part of during their time at Penn State. Activities from Sororities to Club Sports to Hobbies to Religious groups will all have booths set up at the Involvement fair.

The HUB lawn will be filled with rows and rows of booths and it can be hard to sort through all the clubs in such a mayhem, so I’m going to give you a few tips to help you get through it all. The good news is, with over 900 clubs at Penn State, you are bound to find one that interests you!

1.     First of all, you do not need to be at the involvement fair the entire time. You will probably have a class or two during that time, so GO TO CLASS. It is only the second day and you don’t want to miss that.

Hopefully you will be able to spare at least 30 minutes between classes to stop by the HUB lawn to take a look at what Penn State has to offer. If not, you can look up all of the clubs on the Penn State Student Affairs website and contact the club directly to learn more about it.

2.    A lot of the booths will be handing out free swag as you walk through, so be sure to stop by the information booth first and grab the freebie that they are handing out and take a look at the map.

3.    The fair is organized based on activity. Take a look and decide what you are interested in. For example, there is no sense in walking down the club sports aisle if you have no interest in playing a club sport. I suggest starting out heading for a row that has some clubs that interest you.

4.     I personally like to stop by each section and try out something new that interests me. There will be a THON Org section, academic/professional club section, religious groups section, and miscellaneous hobbies. Don’t be afraid to put your name down to be added to their email list to get some more information, but don’t feel pressured to if you are not interested. All of the clubs will be having their first meetings the same night inevitably, so you may not be able to do everything that you want to. But if you get on their email list, you can decide to go later in the semester or still participate in that club’s events. And you can always unsubscribe to the list later.

Miscellaneous hobbies are my favorite aisle. I always find some new interesting hobby that I want to try out. Though I don’t always end up being able to attend their meetings or participate, I sign up for the email list. You can always unsubscribe later. I’ve been on the email list for Model Trains, Beekeeping, Tai Kwon Do, Club Croquet, the Polish Club, and many more. Though you may not want to sign up for as many as I did, I’m sure you will find a new activity that interests you!

Most important is finding that balance between school, health, and social life. I am a firm believer in doing things that you are passionate about rather than doing them because they are a “resume builder.” If you do what you are passionate about, that will build your resume much better than just trying to do what you think recruiters want to see. Find out what balance works for you so that you take care of yourself, get your schoolwork done, and stay happy doing what you are passionate about. So get out to the involvement fair and try something new, find your new passion, or find others who like to do what you like to do!

Shameless Plug: Please stop by the SWE Benefitting THON Org booth and visit me! Maybe you will find your new passion raising money for pediatric cancer and dancing FTK alongside fellow engineers!!

By: Abby Keppel (Mentor Team M)

Summer Fun in France

On May 8^th, I boarded the plane in Newark, NJ and on May 9^th I took my first step in France. This marked the beginning of a once in a lifetime experience. For 2 weeks, myself and 4 Penn State peers stayed with host families in Nantes, France.

The course I took was called Engineering Design and took place at Ecole de Nantes. Here, we had 3 PSU professors rotate between days and about 5 French professors. Yes, a lot of professors but for the most part they would switch who gave what lessons and who would be available to help us on what day. This course was designed to give us both an academic and cultural experience. The academic project we were faced with was to design and prototype a passive speaker for a smart phone. During the project, we received lecture on how to evaluate acoustics, use design thinking, and give an effective presentation. In addition to this, we had a tour of an Airbus facility, took an electronic bike tour of the city, and went to a bakery and made croissants and macaroons. For lunch each day, we had the club of international students take us to lunch. They even planned a beach trip and two dinners we had together. The course was designed to give us the best academics and cultural experience.

The host families were a great aspect of the excellent trip. They provided traditional meals, took us to explore the city and on nature walks, and played games with us. While everyone naturally spoke French, they truly attempted to speak English as best they could.

 If you are going on a study abroad trip with other Penn State students, I highly encourage you to plan going early or staying later after the course with your fellow students to do some exploring. A couple months before our trip, Penn State organized a meeting so we could meet the other students going with us. My program had specifically a super small group of only 5 students, including myself. We made a GroupMe and we were all interested in spending 4 days exploring Paris. We agreed to book a hostel where we could share a private room together. Hostels in Europe are very popular. Ours looked like an extremely nice clean and secured hotel that only costed us each $45 a night.

            How did I get the chance to use this amazing opportunity offered by Penn State? I know it can be annoying and overwhelming, but read your emails when you get to PSU! You will be invited to a million events. While you can’t look into every event/opportunity, it is important you stay in the loop so you don’t miss out on some awesome opportunities that you would want to pursue. For example, in the Fall I saw at the very bottom of the “E-News” (an email chain that gets sent to every person enrolled in the College of Engineering), there was advertisements for engineering study abroad information sessions. I attended my first one having no idea what to expect. Thinking that this email gets sent to thousands and thousands of people, I imagined there would be a lot of people in attendance. I walked into a room of 4 students, and 3 administrators. It was fantastic, I received one on one attention and was able to have a conversation. I learned here that there was two main types of study abroads—the summer vs semester trips. I had only been interested in summer trips at the time because I didn’t think I could live so far from my family for a whole semester.

My next step was to see an advisor. The general engineering advisors who sit in the Hammond building are amazing. You can look them up in Starfish and see what their bios say. I saw Sarah said she’d be happy to talk about study abroads. I sat down with her and she introduced me to the three trips SEDTAPP was offering that summer---Spain, Singapore, and France. I always really wanted to go to France so I was immediately interested in its program

I urge you to reach out to me if you have any interests or questions about the program I completed. I serve as a representative and recruiter for the summer engineering abroads. You can always email me at dbk5264@psu.edu

By: Devyn Kirban (Envoy Team M)

Our gyms need more girl power!

If you don’t like working out in the traditional gym atmosphere or if you get bored of doing the same exercises, try joining an intramural/club sports team or attending classes. (Follow this link for more information: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/fitwell). This is a great way to build a healthy routine and to spend time with friends or make new ones!

***Note:
Penn State added gym access to the price of our tuition, so every University Park student has access to the gyms and Campus Recreation facilities through their student ID+ card. When you walk into the buildings, you will swipe your card and you’re in! It is that easy.



White Building
The White Building is located in the middle of campus, making it convenient for almost anyone, especially students who live in Pollock or South Halls. There are two main entrances to the lobby, one from HUB lawn and one from Shortlidge Road. You can swipe your card at either of the two desks and go down the stairs to find plenty of lockers and locker rooms. When you enter the main gym area, you will see many machines on the upper level and free weights on the “floor.” You can also see the indoor swimming pool through the back wall. If you walk to the left, you will see new multi-purpose home-gym equipment, and some space to do mat-work. If you walk to the right, you will reach a room with treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, etc. This is the first time I have ever had to wait in line for a treadmill! However, the line goes fast so stand your ground.

More info: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/facilities-spaces/campus-recreation-facilities/white-building

IM Building
This place is huge – it is hard to miss. The IM Building is by far the biggest benefit of living in East Halls so if that includes you, take advantage of it! In terms of your normal workout, there is a loft, where you can find cardio equipment and weights. On the ground floor, you will primarily find machines and weights. IM is also home to the famous rock climbing wall, as well as a track, where you can run or walk as an alternative to the treadmills or the roads. Tons of fitness classes and club/intramural sport practices are also held here. Furthermore, I am personally not very athletic, but if you are, IM is the place to go if you want to play pickup games on the courts (racquetball, basketball, etc.).

More info: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/facilities-spaces/campus-recreation-facilities/im-building

Hepper Fitness Center
This gym can be found in Rec Hall, located in West Halls. Rec Hall is where the Penn State volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams go to compete. The lower level of the gym has machines, weights, and space in the back to do mat-work. The upper level is a loft overlooking N Atherton Street; this is where the cardio equipment is located. Rec Hall also has an indoor track, along with courts for various indoor sports and pickup games.

More info: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/facilities-spaces/campus-recreation-facilities/hepper-fitness-center

(P.S. Unfortunately, the Fall 2018 hours are not yet posted at this time.)


By: Andrea Hinkle (Envoy Team L)