Forbes Highlights Bennington's Emphasis on Internships
Every student. Every year.
Bennington is the only college that has, since its founding, required students complete an internship or work experience every year. Forbes covered the impact of Field Work Term internships on students' education at Bennington.
Reports Forbes:
"When Julia Chow arrived at Bennington College, a small liberal arts school in rural Vermont, she knew she wanted to do something art-related, but wasn’t sure exactly what. She started out majoring in art history and museum studies, but 'there wasn’t much planning,' says Chow, who graduated in May. And she certainly wasn’t thinking strategically about how internships fit into her education—or where they might lead when it came to her career.
"But Bennington requires every student to complete an annual Field Work Term—six- to seven-week experiences that can include internships, apprenticeships, fellowships, community engagement or independent research. Chow initially imagined herself pursuing curatorial work, but these experiences, including stints at New York’s Design Trust for Public Space and Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, exposed her to architecture, design, research, marketing and writing.
"She ended up majoring in museum studies and architecture (with a minor in Japanese), and today is back in her native Hong Kong in a job researching and writing about the city’s urban environment. 'I probably wouldn’t have even looked at this role' without those experiences, she says. Plus, she finds herself using skills she picked up across both classes and jobs, including writing and turning complicated ideas into stories."