Information for Students: Externship Experience Application
Get Ready
Please note: The 2026 application period is now over. Information here may be helpful for this year’s externs.
Externship experiences are listed on career.grinnell.edu by host name: Externship Experience Alumni Hosts. Keep your eyes open for new experiences!
To apply to a Grinnell College alumni-hosted externship, start by filling out the Intent to Apply application (form will close Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 5pm). This form contains basic information. Once submitted, you’ll receive an email with the required It’s a Match form. Before the Externship Experience application window opens, you can hone your résumé and polish your LinkedIn profile. Read through this resource. If you have questions, please email externships@grinnell.edu.
Learning Objectives: What You’ll Gain from the Externship Experience
- Explore Careers – See what day-to-day work looks like in your host’s field and reflect on how it connects with your own interests and goals.
- Be a Great Mentee – Practice asking good questions, listening actively, and building relationships with alumni who want to support your growth.
- Understand Workplace Culture – Notice how teams work together, how leaders lead, and how people create inclusive, supportive environments.
- Show Up Professionally – Build confidence in workplace etiquette, communication, and adapting to professional settings—whether virtual or in person.
- Plan Your Next Steps – Leave with new insights and concrete ideas for how to keep moving forward in your career journey.
For each externship experience, prepare a separate application including the following:
You will receive this form as a downloadable PDF when you complete the Intent to Apply application (form will close Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 5pm). Submit a blank copy of this form to the host of each externship experience for which you are applying. Students selected for an externship experience will complete the form with their host and turn it in to the CLS.
The CLS has resources on our Résumés and Cover Letter page to get you started. Be sure to leave yourself time to make an appointment to have your application materials reviewed by someone in the CLS or Writing, Reading, and Speaking Center. You’ll save your résumé with your cover letter in one PDF to send to your host along with the It’s a Match form.
A 350–400-word cover letter introducing yourself to your potential host and exploring your career goals and interests, demonstrating how this experience is relevant to you. If you are applying to more than one opportunity, there may be some repetition in your letters. However, be certain you read the host’s description carefully and curate your letter to each specific experience.
Letter Details
In your letter, briefly share your story and why you would like to explore this externship opportunity. Be polite, specific, and professional. Please include the following information:
- Your interest in the specific field of work and any experience or related experience you may already have (keep in mind that no experience is needed to apply to or be selected by a specific host);
- Two or three goals you have for the externship; and
- Specific questions you wish to discuss with your host including professional questions about your host’s field, questions about your host’s time at Grinnell, or questions about wisdom your host has gathered along their career path.
The host(s) you’re interested in may have made additional application requests. Some hosts like to meet with students virtually before selecting an extern. Others, particularly virtual hosts, want to know if you have specific software skills, etc. Read the posting carefully and supply up front any additional information the host requests. If the host indicates they’d like a virtual meeting, include your availability (for example, weekdays after 4 and Sunday afternoons) in your materials to make scheduling as easy as possible.
Each year there are several alums living around the world who offer externship experiences. Before applying to an international externship, please be certain that you 1) have a passport or will have by the time the externship begins; 2) check to be certain you are able to visit the country; 3) acknowledge the costs involved in traveling internationally; and 4) look into GeoBlue insurance for your trip.
Useful Links:
- GeoBlue enrollment instructions are on the OCS summer travel registration page.
- IGE offers a reimbursement program for first-time passport applicants.
- Related information for passport and visa requirements may be found on the IGE site directed at students who will be pursuing semester-long programs.
- Students with questions related to international travel are invited to connect with Senior Director of Student Mobility and Global Safety Alicia Stanley.
Apply
Carefully review the externship experience opportunities offered by alumni. Read the entire listing, noting the dates and any specific application requirements. Prepare your cover letter and save your cover letter and résumé together in one PDF. You will submit your application—cover letter/résumé PDF and It’s a Match PDF—directly via email for each alumni host only during the application window.
| Deadline | Spring Break |
| Application Due to Hosts | January 2–12, 2026 |
Alumni hosts may request additional information from you for your application and/or they may wish to meet with you.
Note: Be certain to consider the costs of completing an externship (in-person), including travel, meals, transportation to/from the workplace, entertainment, and incidentals. Review the funding chart for the Externship Experience Grant; remember that funding is not guaranteed.
Accept
If you match with more than one host, choose one externship opportunity and communicate with your host. If you’re in the position of turning down one or more hosts, be courteous and let them know right away so they may select another student.
| Deadlines | Spring Break |
| Host Offers | January 16, 2026 |
| Students Accept/Decline | January 20, 2026 |
| Host – optional second offer | No later than January 21 |
| It’s a Match and Waiver due to the CLS | January 27, 2026 |
Students: Once you have accepted the opportunity turn in It’s a Match, complete with your host’s signature and sign and submit the required Waiver form. As a CLS extern, you must complete all of the requirements for the Externship Experience, or you will receive a CLS funding hold for one year.
Arrange
Congratulations—you’re embarking on an Externship! Now the planning and preparation can begin!
- In-person externs: make travel arrangements with your host.
- Virtual externs: set up a schedule and agreed upon technology for your experience.
- All externs: Complete the asynchronous orientation on LinkedIn Learning before your externship experience.
- Externs will be added to the Externship Experience group on LinkedIn.
For in-person externship experiences, apply for an Externship Experience Grants. Review the amounts and requirements and apply by the deadline. No additional funds are allowed and there are no applications after 3pm on the deadline days.
| Deadlines | Spring Break |
| Grant Applications | February 2, 2026 |
Reminder: Funding is limited and set. Be certain you understand the costs associated with participating in your externship including travel, meals, transportation to and from the work site, and incidentals.
Experience
Enjoy your externship!
Follow-up
Complete the post-externship evaluation and assignments. These will be emailed to you ahead of your externship along with the Externship Experience Student Checklist. Requirements will include a short survey, an updated block on your résumé and Handshake profile, and a post about your experience on LinkedIn (this may be an actual post or a PDF of an example post).
| Deadlines | Spring Break |
| Post-externship evaluation and assignments | April 3, 2026 |
