Intern For a Day
What is Intern for a Day?
The University Career Center's popular Intern for a Day program connects undergraduate UMD students with professionals (including alumni, parents/family members, and other off-campus partners) for in-person job shadowing or virtual informational interviewing experiences to explore potential career fields of interest. After participating in a mandatory orientation and completing an application, University Career Center staff match you with an professional of interest for a half- or full-day job shadowing experience or a virtual informational interview.
Please note: Intern for a Day is not currently available for UMD graduate students.
Intern for a Day Closed for 2022-23 Academic Year
Intern for a Day has wrapped up for the 2022-23 academic year, but we'd love for you to participate in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024! Please revisit this page in July or August 2023 for updates about Intern for a Day Fall 2023.
Spring 2023 Intern for a Day: Host List & Mandatory Orientation for Students
Spring 2023 Round Two Host List
Intern for a Day Spring 2023 is now closed, but please feel free to review the Spring 2023 Round Two host list to see examples of the kinds of hosts that participate in Intern for a Day.
Fall 2023 Mandatory Orientation
Mandatory orientation for Fall 2023 will be available sometime in September 2023. Please check back here in August 2023 for more information about when mandatory orientation will open.
Participating in orientation for Intern for a Day is mandatory in order to participate in Intern for a Day Round Two, even if you've completed an orientation in a previous semester. For the Spring 2023 semester, the only orientation offered was a virtual orientation through ELMS. Most questions about the program will be addressed in the mandatory orientation. Other questions can be directed to ifad@umd.edu
Intern for a Day Spring 2023 Timeline for Students
Please note: Intern for a Day Spring 2023 has concluded. This timeline is no longer applicable, but please feel free to familiarize yourself with the Intern for a Day process. The timeline and progression of the program will look similar in future semesters.
Are you unsure about how to participate in Intern for a Day? Please refer to the following timeline to learn what's required of you to participate, step-by-step.
Virtual Orientation via ELMS for Round Two will open on Monday, April 3rd, 2023 by 9am.
- Visit this page between Monday, April 3rd, 2023 and Sunday, April 9th, 2023 to enroll in the mandatory online orientation. The Intern for a Day orientation will then be connected to your ELMS account.
- Virtual orientation will be open until 11:59pm on Sunday, April 9th
- The virtual orientation can be completed at your own pace anytime between Monday, April 3rd and Sunday, April 9th.
- Virtual orientation should take about 30-45 minutes to complete and it does not have to be completed all at once.
- Virtual orientation is mandatory to participate in Intern for a Day and is the only orientation option being offered this semester. This is true even if you have participated in Intern for a Day in the past. The orientation will cover some additional material, including information relevant to this semester's iteration of Intern for a Day.
Intern for a Day applications will be sent to you on Monday, April 10th if you complete the virtual orientation requirement by 11:59pm on April 9th
- If you completed the virtual orientation and do not have the application sent to you by Tuesday, April 11th, please check your spam folder. If you've checked your spam folder and still do not have the application, please reach out to us at ifad@umd.edu and we can help you.
- If you have a special circumstance that caused you to miss the deadline to complete the virtual orientation, please email us at ifad@umd.edu as soon as possible.
- Intern for a Day applications are due Wednesday, April 12th @ 11:59pm. We will not be able to accept late applications because we will be matching applicants with a host on Thursday, April 13th.
- You can find the full host list either here or in the section above this one.
- On your application, please only preference hosts that you have an intention of meeting with.
University Career Center staff will begin the process of matching applicants with hosts on Thursday, April 13th
- We will do our best to match as many of you with your top preferred hosts as possible.
- Due to the reality that many hosts are only able to connect with a small amount of you (1-3 people), we will unfortunately not be able to match everyone with their top preferences. This is why we ask you to provide your top 8 host preferences.
You will be contacted by through email, connecting you with your host or notifying you that we were unable to match you this semester, by the end of the week of April 17-21
- We will connect you directly to the host you were matched with over email. It is up to you to connect with your host directly to schedule your in-person shadowing or virtual informational interviewing experience.
- If we are unable to match you with a host (due to the # of student applicants exceeding the amount of host spaces available), we will make sure to follow up with you.
Complete your in-person shadowing or virtual informational interviewing experience by the end of the Spring semester (May 19, 2023) if possible
- We will also send you a feedback form for you to tell us about your experience with Intern for a Day in Spring 2023.
For Employers Interested in Hosting Intern for a Day Students
Host registration for Intern for a Day Spring 2023 is closed as of Friday, February 10, 2023. Fall 2023 host registration will open in August 2023.
If you are an employer who is interested in participating in Intern for a Day, please reach out to ifad@umd.edu indicating your interest in order to be added to our email list and to receive the host registration form (if we are actively registering hosts at that time—otherwise, you will be contacted the next time we are registering hosts).
Click here for the Intern for a Day Host Guide, which is regularly updated and features information about the purpose of the program as well as information that can support you as you plan to host UMD students for job shadowing and informational interviewing opportunities!
Questions? Reach out to ifad@umd.edu.
Intern for a Day General Timelines
Here’s what the typical timeline looks like for Intern for a Day in the Fall and Spring semesters in case you'd like to plan for future semesters. We will always list the current semester's IFAD dates for students and hosts in the sections above.
Fall Intern for a Day General Timeline
July-Sept: Host registration is open
Early/Mid-Oct: Students complete a mandatory orientation on workplace etiquette, program logistics, and more
Mid/Late Oct: Students apply and rank order their top hosts of interest
Late Oct/Early Nov: University Career Center staff match students with hosts & notify both parties
Nov-Jan: Intern for a Day experience takes place! Students and hosts determine the day that works best with their schedules for the shadowing or virtual informational interviewing experience.
Spring Intern for a Day General Timeline
Dec/Jan-Feb: Host registration is open
Mid/Late Feb: Students complete a mandatory orientation on workplace etiquette, program logistics, and more
Early Mar: Students apply and rank order their top hosts of interest
Early/Mid-Mar: University Career Center staff match students with hosts & notify both parties
Mar-May: Intern for a Day experience takes place! Students and hosts determine the day that works best with their schedules for the shadowing or virtual informational interviewing experience.