Hands-On Learning

Internships

Internships provide essential firsthand experience that helps students try out areas of interest and ultimately make more informed career decisions. They also allow students to show the strength of their liberal arts education in helping employers solve challenges that are relevant to them.

Employers, graduate schools, and professional programs now expect candidates to have at least two significant career experiences before they graduate.

That is why internships and undergraduate research are so vital — and why Colgate does so much to make them accessible. Colgate’s alumni and parent donors generously provide funding to help cover the costs of unpaid or underpaid summer experiences. And advisers in Career Services, along with faculty, help students navigate the entire process.

HOW INTERNSHIPS HELP

• Gain insight on career direction
• Test out different work settings and cultures
• Build résumé content
• Develop industry-specific skills to better qualify for jobs
• Practice the job-search process
• Shape a professional network
• Try out different team management and supervision styles
• Demonstrate interest to future schools and employers

Fellowships & Scholarships

Scholarships and fellowships can be invaluable in shaping a career, opening doors, and providing coveted experiences that come packaged with financial support. They are also deeply competitive. Students must have strong academics and civic engagement, awareness of the deadlines and requirements, and an understanding of which opportunities are right for them. Colgate provides clarity and support through its Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships, which helps students position themselves to apply and succeed.

Colgate offers two scholars programs of its own for incoming students. All recipients benefit from valuable support toward learning, research, and global travel while at Colgate.

Alumni Memorial Scholars

Students with an exceptional academic record who will thrive by contributing to Colgate’s intellectual community.

Office of Undergraduate Studies Scholars

Students who have shown creativity, determination, and intellect in the face of significant challenges.

Entrepreneurship

Colgate attracts students of drive, curiosity, and ambition. This is the entrepreneurial mindset. It applies from finance to the humanities, and it is a distinctive advantage for career success. That is why the University fosters it in every setting. Colgate creates exciting chances for students to experiment, invent, and reach for big ideas. And it backs them up with professional development, dedicated space, a loyal alumni network, and the opportunity to secure seed money for their ventures.

Opportunities in Entrepreneurship

Thought Into Action

Thought Into Action is a yearlong incubator in which participants develop and pitch nonprofit and for-profit solutions for problems that face the campus community and the world. Hundreds of students have taken part, guided by alumni, parent, or community mentors — and been challenged to learn from the mistakes and the excitement that come with creating a venture.

Entrepreneur Weekend

Each year, entrepreneurs come to campus to share lessons and success stories for a weekend event, where the most promising ventures from the Thought Into Action incubator go at it in a pitch competition. Students, alumni, and parents are invited.

Campus Venture Initiative

The Campus Venture Initiative supports students who want to sell their goods or services on campus. Those approved get a license to operate and market, access to a prime location in the Coop, ease with payment processing, and other resources.

Entrepreneurs Fund

The Entrepreneurs Fund supports the ventures of Colgate students and alumni who are seeking to solve big problems. Teams are awarded cash grants to bring their ideas to commercial viability; they also get incubator space for a summer in Hamilton, mentorship from the Colgate network, and additional start-up resources.

Research

One of the hallmarks of a Colgate education is that undergraduates get to do doctorate-level research with top faculty. An overwhelming majority of students take up the opportunity across the entire spectrum of the liberal arts, from the sciences to the arts and humanities. This research experience enhances the intellectual growth of students. It also has career preparation implications, giving them an advantage over the competition for national fellowships, graduate schools, and top job placements. Some students even get research published before they graduate. These research opportunities reflect Colgate’s distinctive scale as a University of world-class faculty in the setting of an intimate liberal arts college. It creates moments only Colgate can offer.

Opportunities Across Many Industries

Colgate offers practical, hands-on learning in a variety of industries: business, engineering, communications, health sciences, law, and architecture. Colgate students have the rare opportunity to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., one of the world’s foremost institutions of health science and discovery. The experience involves 30+ hours of research each week in an NIH laboratory of the students’ choosing.

Preparing for Professions

Colgate helps undergraduates prepare for professions with hands-on learning so that they can explore interests and immerse themselves in practical experience. This allows students to shape their academic experience toward career goals, network with successful and influential alumni, and get an early feel for real-world work. These pre-professional programs connect the lifelong value of a liberal arts education with training for careers that provide tangible and enduring benefits.