How do you find an internship?
Well you can always search for one on your own. Use your status as a UCF student and ask your local community members if they need a volunteer intern. Try doing a Google search of the type of experience you want. For example: Google “Volunteer opportunity in Orlando” and you’ll find some names of counselors in the area. Check out local non-profit organizations and public schools, too. Send them a well written e-mail asking if they have an internship opportunity available, and if not, perhaps they would be willing to meet with you to do an informational interview about their career field.
Some places that psychology majors have volunteered at to gain relevant experience before are:
- ASPIRE
- Big Brother Big Sister
- Children’s Home Society of Florida
- The Center
- Mental Health Association of Central Florida
- Harbor House
- New Hope for Kids
- Give Kids the World
- Musician’s On Call
- Volunteer Seminole County Public Schools
- Orange County Public Schools
- Volunteer Match .org
- and more….
Some other things you may consider are:
PSY4942 Instructional Experiences in Undergraduate Psychology: This internship is designed for advanced psychology majors who want to explore Teaching as part of their professional development, by becoming a Teaching Assistant. Additionally this experience gives students a chance to work more closely with professors in the Psychology Department. It is required that you have already earned an “A” in the course you are to TA for, have a minimum of 3.0 GPA, and that you register for PSY 4942 during your first semester as a Teaching Assistant. PSY 4942 is an online (S/U) graded 1 credit course that coincides with the work you complete with a faculty member. You can take the course up to 3 times. To become a TA- ask your professor for whose class you received an A in if you can be their TA next semester. If you are approved, email the Psychology Advising Center: psychadvising@ucf.edu , and you will be issued a permission number so that you can enroll. TA duties will vary depending on the professor you work with.
Experiential Learning Apply online using Handshake program: www.explearning.ucf.edu to learn about co-op and other internship opportunities related to psychology and other fields you might be interested in.
PSY3022C Academic Counseling Psychology Peer Advisors (PA’s) are advanced undergraduate psychology majors who assist other psychology majors/minors to understand and complete their psychology degree requirements. PA’s help students understand university policies and procedures, assist in schedule planning, and provide advisement on other academic matters such as applying for extracurricular activities and graduate school. PA’s are not paid, but do earn upper level psychology credit for participating in the internship. This is a three semester of Fall, Spring, and Summer-10 hour per week- commitment. PA’s are selected based on GPA, related experience, and extracurricular activities. Email psychadvising@ucf.edu for application information
If your goal is to go towards a doctorate (PsyD/PhD) to become a psychologist or other scientist/practitioner, not only would you need experiences such as listed above, but you will need at least 1 year of research experience with a faculty member as well.