The Externship Program was founded to prove unproven people. We empower Vanderbilt women to have opportunities to advance their experiences, knowledge base, and connections amongst a wealth of industries. Scroll down to learn more about our program!
About the Program
Overview
The externship program matches student interns to prestigious Nashville firms based on the interns’ desired learning objectives and intended skill sets.
Timeline
This is a 9 week long program that we host in the fall, spring, and summer. Our fall cohort begins on September 30, 2024 and ends on November 29, 2024. Please see below for more details about other cohorts.
Commitment
An intern can work anywhere from 8-15 hours a week depending on the independent agreement with the company they are paired with.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors enrolled as full-time students at Vanderbilt University.
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Every company MUST have the option to be remote. However, if the company and the intern want to be in-person, they may under the conditions that the intern provides their own transportation.
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The fall and spring program is an unpaid, part-time internship. The summer program operates as a paid full-time internship typically with longer hours.
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No, firms are located across the country.
Externship Partners
Join 40+ companies and non-profit organizations across all industries in elevating your business by accessing unique and skilled talent.
Student Testimonials
"Originally, when I was assigned my internship, the company that I was paired with pulled out at the last second. However, this was a blessing in disguise as it led me to be paired with the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee. I loved my experience with the company and am so grateful that I applied for the externship. I enjoyed it so much that I was begging them to be assigned more work and even was asked back to intern with them this fall.”
— Rebecca Shiff (‘24), Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee
“I have nothing but good things to say about the WiB externship program! It's been so helpful for gaining experience in several different industries and experimenting with my career interests, as I have now participated in the program three times (each time with a different industry focus). Over the summer, I was a Digital Marketing Intern for River Queen Voyages, and I realized I really enjoy marketing - who knew! It was also very cool to see how my tasks as an intern had a real impact on the company - for example, after I added merch to their Google page, they saw a 22% increase in Google sales. The externship program itself was very helpful, especially if you feel overwhelmed by the internship application process or if you have no idea what you're interested in - like I was. The program is also a great way to find local mentors and get involved with some of Nashville's coolest businesses. 5 out of 5 stars!”
— Julia Iorio (‘23), River Queen Voyages
“I thoroughly enjoyed the WIB Externship and working with People3 this summer. The work I did at people3 perfectly aligned with my interests and even exposed me to new processes, industries, and skills. I felt very comfortable with the workload, and learned a lot from working directly with the Founder/CEO. I did client work that allowed me to speak to senior management and C-suite executives and enhanced my presentation and analytical skills. My most valuable experience was when I was tasked with creating a pricing model for Diversity and Inclusion Courses that would be rolled out to a variety of clients and their employees. The CEO of people3 gave me some information on the costs, minimum revenues, client size, and course structure. I then did research on existing D and I course prices and created my own framework. After presenting my final work to the people3 CEO, she was very impressed and said that she would be taking it to the vendor as a baseline framework. Overall, I did diversity and inclusion research, created job-descriptions, made recommendations to clients and to the people3 team, participated in client meetings, and did finance and consulting work. Thank you, WIB for this amazing experience!”
— Gabriella Ayad (‘24), People3
“I had the most incredible experience during my 12-week externship with UNITY, where I focused on business development and marketing. I was fortunate to have been entrusted and empowered to: Negotiate deals and manage partnerships; write and publish researched blog posts; design social media content; and, completely dive into the inner workings of a wellness start-up. The internship is what you make it; be vocal about your goals and what you can bring to the table, and the company is super responsive. On my second day of work, I pitched the addition of an FAQ page after noticing them on our competitors’ websites. My boss, Phene, was incredibly receptive and excited about the project, and immediately told me to run with it. I was entrusted with everything from the research, writing, design, and launch. I was grateful to be given so much autonomy while also always having an open line of communication with Phene. WiB matches up students so well based on our interests and the company’s needs. If you’re eager to learn more about and hone your skills in a specific industry while forging lasting connections in the business world, definitely apply!”
— Lucy de Lande Long (‘24), UNITY Wellness Co.
“Working with TALENTality was an incredible experience! I was able to gain insight on the broader consulting industry while also contributing to the day-to-day business.”
— Emily Char (‘24), TALENTality
“I had a good experience with the WiB Externship! My boss was super great, kind, and helpful. She even came from all the way from Franklin to Hillsboro to get lunch with me and then proceeded to invite me—and another intern—into her office for a final lunch. I enjoyed it so much that I kept asking for more hands-on experiences and wished I could have stayed longer to gain more knowledge of the industry.”
— Alexis Condon (‘23), Haws Goodwin
“I absolutely love WiB's externship opportunity as it granted me the chance to work with Leah Hayes at Her Story of Success! I learned how to better communicate in meetings and improved my writing skills. As a freshman, the externship experience is an amazing opportunity to meet inspiring and helpful mentors, gain exposure to Nashville businesses, and grow my skill set in a variety of different ways.”
— Rachel Lee (‘24), Her Story of Success