BCAT News

One of the most anticipated events for Burlington High studentsis the senior internship. The last quarter of the year is spent senior-less as they get the privilege of going out into the workforce to get real world experience in their fields of choice. But, there is no one correct way to do an internship. 

There are three different types of internships that Burlington High School Seniors typically participate in every year: traditional, flipped, and a mini-mester. All are options on the table when choosing your internship. 

Traditional Internship:

When kids think of internships, typically what they are picturing is a traditional internship. These internships could consist of practically anything. Whether you intern at a company, school, or at your job; the sky’s the limit. These types of internships do not require you to return to the school for any classes and can be at any time of the day depending on the nature of your internship. 

“I chose a traditional internship because I felt that it worked more for me,” Emersyn Kirchner, BHS Senior, said. “I felt I would learn more things from it.”

Many kids choose this path of internship to gain experience in the major that they are pursuing the next year in college.

”I am interning at Safari kids.”  Kirchner said, who will be attending Merrimack College this coming fall for Early Childhood Education.

But for seniors who may not know exactly what they are doing, there are plenty of other options. Many students will intern at their jobs, or in places that have no tie to any career they might go into. The options for traditional internships are endless, and there are no time limitations other than your own. A traditional internship is one of the most versatile and non-restrictive options for your last quarter.

Flipped Internship:

Flipped internship is for the Computer Science, Data Science and STEM kids who may not have the liberty to take on a full internship. It is overseen by Ms. Tyrell and needs an application to participate in.

 “I take three AP’s so I couldn’t intern with my job or anything like that” Cassandra Herrera, BHS senior, and flipped internship participant “Mine is sorta a Flipped internship at the middle school. It lets me go back to the highschool for my AP classes.”

Balancing AP classes and your internship can be one of the most challenging parts of the internship process. Without any AP classes, you need 30 hours a week. When you have AP classes, you subtract around 5 hours per the class. 

Mini-Mester at Middlesex Community College:

One of the most interesting options that Burlington High School offers for internships is the Mini-Mester at Middlesex community college. Students can apply to a self-paced and virtual college course where they can earn college credits. 

 “I’m interning at home I guess, but I’ll be taking classes at Middlesex fully online and self paced,” Nora McDowell, BHS senior, said.

Getting ahead credit-wise is not the only perk to registering for the mini-semester. By thrusting themselves into a college level course, high schoolers can expose themselves to the rigorous nature of college life. Jumping from high school, where you have people holding you accountable, to college, where you have complete control and freedom, can be very challenging for some kids.

 “I think it will help prepare me for August when I go to campus because I’ll get a taste of college life sooner,” said McDowell. 

A mini semester can be very beneficial, but interested students should be warned. The nature of the class is very different from what students are used to, and it is easy to fall behind. Due to the class being a self-paced class, it is very easy to fall behind on assignments when there is no one there telling you to do them. It is essential for students to understand what they are getting into before they commit to this option. But even if you do not pass the class, the experience that you gained will still help prepare you for the pace of college the following year.

This year’s internship will start on April 7th and end on May 23rd. The proposals were due March 10th, and now seniors have begun their preparations for internship. As the end of the quarter approaches, seniors will start preparing to say goodbye to the schedules they once knew.