The Metcalf Program is the premier internship program at the University of Chicago. A national model for university internship programs for more than a quarter-century, the Metcalf Program provides paid, substantive internships for students in the College.
Through the resources of the program, you’re well-positioned to excel during your experience and beyond. Your benefits as a Metcalf intern include:
- Connections with the Metcalf Program’s employer partners across industries and geographic locations.
- Kickoff and summer events that will help you build community with peers, employers, and alumni.
- Dedicated career advising support to help you communicate your experience as you plan next steps following your internship.
- Access to future professional opportunities through the program’s recognition and high visibility among the UChicago community and our employer partners.
Best Practices as a Metcalf Intern
Employers recruiting from UChicago invest time and resources in the process. Being selected to contribute to an organization is the first step to a rewarding professional experience. As a Metcalf intern, you join a professional community where you represent your best self and serve as a UChicago ambassador. Your interactions with the employer leading up to and during your internship experience are important and impactful:
- Take a proactive approach in your communication, be willing to ask for guidance and clarification, but also prepare to offer ideas and solutions
- Keep your manager up-to-date on your progress and projects and complete work on time
- Seek feedback and be an active participant in the relationship
- Professionalism, timeliness, and courtesy are qualities that leave a lasting impression
- Capitalize on this experience: build your network and learn about the industry
We also encourage you to reference the Student Recruiting Guidelines.
Internship Logistics
If you have not done so already, communicate to your prospective host organization/employer where you will be physically located during the internship. In some instances, your location may affect your (or your host organization/employer’s) ability to pursue this opportunity.
Action Items:
- Internship Time Commitment | In advance of your experience, confirm:
- Start and end dates
- Work hours
- Expectations
- Work Schedule
- Determine a mutually convenient schedule with your supervisor for the length of your internship.
- Housing
- Interns are responsible for arranging and funding their own summer experience logistics, including housing, transportation, and responding to any unforeseen circumstances (e.g., illness, travel for family emergency, evacuating from a natural disaster, etc.).
- Start planning your living arrangements early. Check out these helpful city guides.
- Employer may have helpful recommendations on location or be able to share where previous interns have stayed in the past – use this as an additional resource of information.
Summer Experience Evaluation
You feedback on the internship is instrumental as it offers first-hand insight into the experience at your hosting employer and allows us to gather insights that are valuable to your peers who may be interested in the company/internship in the future. During the summer, you’ll receive communication to:
- Complete a mid-summer check-in survey by July 12, 2024
- Complete a summer-end evaluation by September 16, 2024
If Your Employer is the University | Important Guidelines Regarding Remote Work
If your employer is the University, you are expected to comply with all University policies and processes that apply to students and to your University activities. This includes policies and procedures related to conduct, ethics, research compliance, intellectual property, and information security (including the Policy on Information Technology Use and Access). If your research or other activities involve work with export-controlled technologies, please review the University’s export control guidance at https://ura.uchicago.edu/page/export-compliance-overview-1. Your University activity should be conducted through the relevant UChicago-provided software and applications wherever possible.
You acknowledge and agree that the University can continue to collect, use, process, and transfer your personal information, such as your legal name, sex, date of birth, citizenship, education information, and contact information, for purposes of your academic studies, employment, and administration.
If you will be working from outside of the United States, you are expected to comply with all applicable laws in the jurisdiction from which you will be working remotely, including any local regulations regarding immigration authorization, internet usage, and individual income tax, which is your personal responsibility. If you are unsure of those requirements, you will need to consult with a local professional, as the University is unable to advise you about your personal obligations abroad.