Your entire time as an undergraduate is filled with opportunities to learn, from your classes and extracurricular activities on campus to study abroad and co-op programs with employers in Cleveland and around the country. You might work with faculty on research, create your own company, secure an internship, become a civic engagement scholar, or pursue one of many other opportunities.
By engaging in experiential learning, you will connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations. You’ll also gain important experience to help inform future decisions about careers and postgraduate studies.
Planning your experiential education journey
The opportunities are endless. Luckily, there’s an Experiential Education Database to help you find substantive, CWRU-sponsored programs.
If you’re not sure where to get started, Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education has a team of experts prepared to help you plan your experiential education journey.
New opportunities launch all the time so keep checking back for when applications open. Some options you might consider include:
- Community Service: The Center for Civic Engagement and Learning offers a variety of structured opportunities to get involved in community service including one-time and semester-long experiences.
- LaunchNet: Refine practically any entrepreneurial idea and get connected to the resources you need to launch and maintain a business. LaunchNet will help you navigate intellectual property protection, business plan creation, enterprise organization, market definition, technological infrastructure, materials research, fundraising, pitch competitions and more.
- Paragon One: This program places you with a reputable company based on your interests and preferred remote externships. In addition, you receive support, mentorship and learning opportunities throughout the externship experience.
- Parker Dewey: Parker Dewey is an online platform that connects you with short-term, professional, paid work experiences through remote micro-internships.
- Practicum: Gain experience (paid/unpaid) in an area related to your academic and career goals during the academic year. The practicum program maintains full-time enrollment status and there is no tuition paid. Although no credit is awarded, students earn transcript notation for successful completion of a practicum experience.
- Summer On The Cuyahoga: This unique summer internship program brings together 50 to 70 students for an intensive summer immersion program designed to help interns explore the professional, civic and social offerings of the Cleveland area. Want to learn more? Attend a workshop on Feb. 9.
- Support of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE): SOURCE is your connection to undergraduate research opportunities and will prepare you to engage in research and creative endeavors. SOURCE has a number of funded summer research programs too!
- Study Abroad: Study abroad is an exciting, world-expanding education opportunity, but there are many more reasons why you should make it a part of your academic plan. Application deadlines for fall, academic year and summer programs are approaching.