Explore internships, research, leadership, volunteer work, and other ways designed
to help STEM students build experience, develop professional skills, and prepare for
transfer, graduate school, and STEM careers.
In STEM fields, your classroom learning is only the beginning. Employers, universities,
and research programs look for students who apply their knowledge beyond the classroom
through hands-on experiences, leadership, and professional development.
Whether you plan to transfer to a four-year university, pursue graduate school, or
enter the workforce, building experience early can help you develop technical skills,
strengthen your resume, and explore the many possibilities available in STEM.
Don't Wait to Build Your Experience
Many students wait until their final year or semester before they finish their courses
or before transferring to look for internships, research opportunities, volunteer
work, or other ways to gain experience. However, the earlier you begin, the more time
you have to explore your interests, develop skills, and build a strong foundation
for your future goals.
Transfer programs, internships, scholarships, research opportunities, and STEM employers
often look beyond grades. They value students who demonstrate curiosity, initiative,
teamwork, leadership, and a commitment to learning.
Starting early allows you to:
Explore different STEM fields and career pathways
Build technical and professional skills over time
Develop relationships with faculty, mentors, and industry professionals
Create a stronger resume and transfer application
Discover opportunities that align with your career and academic goals
Why Experience Matters
Building STEM experience helps you:
Apply classroom concepts to real-world challenges
Strengthen problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
Gain confidence in your abilities
Explore potential careers and industries
Build connections with professionals, faculty, and peers
Prepare for internships, transfer opportunities, graduate school, and employment
Ways to Gain Experienc
You do not need to have extensive experience to get started. Every step counts, from
joining and leading a STEM club, volunteering, participating in research, completing
your own project, connecting with mentors.
Participation in college athletics can help you develop skills that are highly valued
in STEM and professional environments, including teamwork, leadership, discipline,
time management, communication, and goal-setting.
Participate in conferences and student research showcases to connect with professionals,
learn about STEM fields, and explore future opportunities.
International experiences can provide opportunities to develop soft and technical
skills. Whether you visited, lived or studied abroad, consider any skills, knowledge,
roles, etc.
Participate in STEM events that allow you to apply your skills, collaborate with others,
and learn from professionals. Opportunities may include:
Hackathons
Technical challenges
Engineering design competitions
Industry workshops and trainings
Professional conferences
Career fairs and networking events
These experiences can help you practice problem-solving, innovation, teamwork, and
communication while connecting with STEM communities.
Gain hands-on experience with companies, organizations, government agencies, or research
institutions. Internships help you apply your STEM knowledge while developing professional
skills and learning about career pathways.
Not every STEM-related experience needs to be an internship or technical position.
Many students work in retail, food service, hospitality, childcare, customer service,
or other industries while completing their education. These jobs can help you build
transferable skills that are valuable in STEM and professional settings.
Campus employment can help you develop valuable skills while supporting your academic
and professional goals. Positions such as laboratory assistants, tutors, peer mentors,
student assistants, and technology support roles can provide opportunities to strengthen
communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and technical skills.
Participate in faculty-led research projects to explore scientific questions, develop
technical skills, and gain experience with the research process. Research can help
you learn how new knowledge is created and how STEM discoveries address real-world
challenges.
STEM students stand out when they can apply their knowledge to meaningful problems.
Many universities, research programs, and employers look for students who demonstrate
the ability to think critically, develop solutions, and use STEM skills to make an
impact.
You don't have to wait for an internship or research opportunity to gain STEM experience.
Creating your own project is a valuable way to explore your interests, develop technical
skills, and demonstrate initiative.
Consider opportunities that allow you to:
Design solutions to real-world problems
Apply STEM concepts to challenges in communities, industries, healthcare, technology,
or the environment
Build, test, analyze, or improve a product, tool, model, or process
Use coding, data analysis, experiments, engineering design, or research methods
Document your process, challenges, results, and impact
If you have an idea for a project, consider reaching out to a faculty member in your
STEM field. Faculty can help you refine your idea, identify resources, think through
project goals, and connect your interests to meaningful STEM questions.
You do not need to have a fully developed plan before reaching out. A conversation
with a faculty mentor can help you brainstorm possibilities and determine the next
steps for turning an idea into a meaningful learning experience.
Your projects do not need to be large-scale to be valuable. A class assignment, research
project, engineering design challenge, coding project, laboratory investigation, or
community-based initiative can demonstrate your ability to apply STEM knowledge beyond
the classroom.
A self-directed project demonstrates curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, and the
ability to apply STEM knowledge beyond the classroom, skills that are valuable for
transfer applications, internships, research opportunities, and future careers.
Your academic work can also become valuable STEM experience. Laboratory courses, research
assignments, design projects, coding assignments, data analysis activities, and other
course-based projects can demonstrate your ability to apply STEM concepts.
Consider documenting projects where you:
Designed or tested solutions
Used technical tools or software
Conducted experiments or analyzed data
Collaborated with classmates
Presented findings or recommendations
Join STEM-focused clubs and organizations to collaborate with peers, participate in
projects, attend events, and develop leadership skills. Student organizations can
provide opportunities to explore interests and build your professional network.
Develop valuable professional skills by serving as a club officer, peer mentor, tutor,
student ambassador, or project leader. Leadership experiences demonstrate initiative
and your ability to work with others.
Explore summer and academic-year research programs that provide mentorship, hands-on
learning, and opportunities to present your work. These experiences can strengthen
transfer applications and prepare you for upper division and graduate-level STEM opportunities.
Build communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through volunteer and community-based
projects. These experiences can help you connect STEM knowledge to community needs.
Attend workshops focused on résumé building, interviewing, networking, research skills,
technical tools, and career preparation. Professional development helps you prepare
for opportunities and understand expectations in STEM fields.
Tracking Your Accomplishments
As you gain experience, make sure to document your accomplishments and create a record
of your growth. Documenting and maintaining updated materials of your projects, research,
and experiences can help you prepare for internships, transfer applications, scholarships,
and future career opportunities. It also allows you to respond quickly when opportunities
become available. STEM opportunities may have short application windows, so having
an updated record of your accomplishments can help you confidently apply when the
right opportunity comes along.
Consider:
Creating a master resume with all your experiences (projects, research, jobs, volunteer
work, coursework, labs, skills, certificates, trainings, non-classroom presentations,
publications, leadership awards, etc.)
Sharing achievements and experiences on LinkedIn profile
Highlighting projects, research, coursework, etc. on your personal portfolio
Creating a folder that houses your certificates
When sharing your work and/or taking notes, always follow any applicable permissions,
confidentiality requirements, and ownership guidelines. Before posting projects, research,
photos, data, code, or other materials publicly including during informal and formal
conversations, such as interviews, make sure you have approval from faculty, research
mentors, project partners, or other individuals involved.
Keeping your materials updated and sharing your accomplishments responsibly can help
you showcase your skills while respecting the contributions, privacy, and rights of
others.
