Student Experiential Learning Guide

Experiential Learning happens when you participate in hands on learning experiences in and out of the classroom that help you develop transferable skills. Participating in experiential learning helps builds your resume with marketable skills and helps you become career ready by learning how to navigate a professional work environment.

• A ULN Scholarship requirement starting your second year.
• You must complete an experiential learning opportunity each Fall and Spring Term during your second, third, and fourth years.
• An experience you had in the summer can count towards the requirement of a future semester.
• You should complete approximately 120 hours a semester (approximately 10 hours a week) at your experiential learning opportunity.
  • We recommend participating in no more than 20 hours a week at your experiential learning opportunity.
• Must have a supervisor, mentor, or advisor
• Opportunities can be paid or unpaid.
  • If you participate in unpaid opportunities, we recommend you complete no more than 10 hours a week.

• On-campus and off-campus internships
• On-campus and off-campus Part-time jobs including Work-study (must have supervisor)
• Education Abroad and Domestic Study
• Undergraduate Research
• Practicum – This includes experiential degree requirements such as fieldwork, clinicals, student teaching, and other practicums.
• Capstone/Large Scale Course Project – Often in your final year of your degree plan you will have a capstone class that includes a large research project, design project, and more.
• Entrepreneurship
• Organization Leadership Position
• Fine Arts and Media Portfolio
• Graduate/Professional School Prep Course

• Every Fall and Spring Term you will be required to fill out the Experiential Learning form by the 12^th class day.
• Spring Term form opens the first week of November and due the 12^th class day of the Spring Term
• Fall Term form opens the first week of May and due the 12^th class day of the Fall Term
• Complete the Experiential Learning Form here!
• To complete the form, you will need:
  • your supervisor, professor/faculty member, or mentor’s name and contact information (email).
  • information about the organization you are completing the opportunity with
  • position/project description.
  • You will answer a short question about how the opportunity aligns with your career goals.

Searching for an experiential learning opportunity can seem like a big task. There are many people on campus that are here to help. One of the first steps you can do to take on this task is setting up a meeting with one of the following people:

• ULN Experiential Learning Coordinator – Best for if you are not sure where to start and if you are not sure about what campus resources are available. Best for questions regarding the ULN requirement and non-traditional (Ex: entrepreneurship, fine arts & media portfolio) types of EL opportunities.
• College-Specific Career Office Career Coach – Best for industry-specific career development and industry-specific connections traditionally aligned with your college or school, including major specific resources.
• Texas Career Engagement Career Coach – Best for starting your career plan conversation. Brainstorm ways to gain experience, learn about how to navigate UT’s career resources, and get feedback on resumes, cover letters, personal statements, or online profiles.
• Texas Career Engagement Career Counselor – These appointments are with a licensed professional counselor associate or psychologist. Best for discussing your values, interests, skills and how to best connect them to a career or major.

• HireUTexas Powered by Handshake – Find professional jobs and internships, part-time, Work-Study, and on-campus positions actively recruiting UT students.
  • Search for “ULN Friendly” friendly employers. These are employers especially interested in hiring ULN students. “ULN Friendly” positions will be 10-20 hours a week, will have a direct supervisor, integrate professional development opportunities, and will provide clear performance expectations, assessment, and feedback.
  • Career Fairs & Networking Events – Use the Events Tab on Handshake to find Networking events, career fairs, and recruiting events.
• Indeed – Find part- and full-time jobs and internships across the country.
• LinkedIn – Networking resource and job search tool. Use the alumni tool to browse UT alumni and build relationships with individuals in industries of interest. Consider starting with an informational interview.
• HookedIn – Get plugged into a network of Longhorns working in every industry. Learn from their experience and build your resume.
• College Specific Job Boards – check out the job board for your College/School for opportunities specifically posted for you industry and major.

• The Launchpad at UT – offers mentorship, start-up grants, summer accelerator programs for student startups, venture capital fellowship, and more resources to help with starting your own business venture.
• Herb Keller Center – good for connecting with resources, finding a mentor, programs for student founders, and funding opportunities.
• Harkey Institute – Offers and Undergraduate Mentor program, offers Summer Entrepreneurship Academy, Summer Fellowship for students currently working on a startup, and more resources.
• Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute – Join this community, participate in events, take courses, and/or participate in the FoundHER program.
• Longhorn Startup – join the Lab and get credit, mentorship, and resources to work on your startup during school.

• Office of Undergraduate Research – Consider attending an information session to learn more about how to get involved in undergraduate research. Learn how to use Eureka to find opportunities, how to speak to Faculty about getting involved in research and individual research opportunities.
• Eureka – Find faculty members by research interest area or browse current listings of posted research assistantships.
• Freshman Research Initiative for the College of Natural Sciences – Includes opportunities for students event outside of their first-year including a summer internship.

• Texas Global Education Abroad – study and/or intern abroad for a semester, summer, Maymester. Explore different types of programs and countries.
• Scholarships – Texas Global hosts information sessions for scholarship opportunities to study and intern abroad. Check out opportunities such as the First Abroad Scholarship, Global Assist and more.
• ULN Study Abroad Community – meet with current ULN students that have gone abroad and who are interested in going abroad. Join the group to stay up-to-date on opportunities and events.

• Archer Fellowship Program – Study and intern for a semester in Washington, D.C.
• UTLA – Spend a semester living, learning, and working in Los Angeles.
• UTNY – Spend a semester living, learning, and working in New York City.

• UT Student Government – Apply for positions in Student Government, position opportunities are available that you don’t have to run for office. Develop essential leadership skills and collaborate with peers to address key student concerns.
• HornsLink –Interested in joining a student org? Use HornsLink to search for campus organizations and opportunities to get involved.

• Strive Grad Prep Academy – Strive GPA offers participants a wealth of resources and services, including no-cost test prep courses provided in partnership with Kaplan.
• McNair Scholars Program – For students interested in attending Grad School providing programming, scholarship, research opportunities, GRE and more.

Updated weekly, the EL Bulletin posts current EL opportunities and resources such as jobs, internships, EL funding, and events, that have been sent to ULN.

Many experiential learning opportunities require a resume for their applications. Use these resources below to help you write a good resume.

• Use a resume template and check out example resumes. Also check out your college career center for industry specific resume examples.
• Check out tips and writing guides on the Texas Career Engagement website.
• Get your resume reviewed. Make an appointment with the Experiential Learning Coordinator, or a Career Coach.

Many experiential learning opportunities may require a cover letter or have an optional cover letter. Your cover letter is an opportunity to make your application stand out amongst others. Use these resources to help you write a tailored cover letter.

• Check out cover letter writing guides and templates.
• Get your cover letter reviewed. Make an appointment with the Experiential Learning Coordinator, or with a Career Coach.

Practicing interviews is an important step to securing your experiential learning position. There are a few resources you can use to practice.

• A virtual program, Big Interview. Big Interview provides step-by-step video lessons and interview practice tools to help you strengthen your interview skills.
• Practice your responses to these common interview questions.
• Schedule a Mock Interview with the Experiential Learning Coordinator or Career Coach.
• Check out these additional resources.

Dress for success by visiting the UT Outpost Career Closet for free business casual and professional clothing.

Building relationships through networking is an important skill to learn and practice. Through these relationships can come many opportunities to learn about a new career path, how someone go to where they are, make a connection in your industry, and can sometimes lead to mentorship and job opportunities. Here are some general tips for networking.

• Attend professional and networking events. These events include things such as Coffee Chats with an employer, Career Fairs, Texas Exes Alumni events, student organization events, Career Fairs, etc…
  • You can search for events on HireUTexas
• Career Fairs – It is important to come prepared for a career fair. No more wandering around not knowing who to talk to. Being intentional about why you are attending is a great way to make connections. Prepare in advance by reviewing the list of attendees and posted positions and practicing your elevator pitch. Come prepared with a copy of your resume and questions you want to ask employers you are interested in.
  • For example, say you are a sophomore interested in working at a specific company but they only have internships for Juniors. You can still talk to the employer and ask questions like “what experience do I need to get between now and my junior year to have a strong application?”
  • Practicing your Elevator pitch – Prepare a 30-second pitch that includes your academics, work experience, skills, and career goals. Highlight the most relevant and important experiences for the specific employer. Practice with a friend, in front of a mirror, and with your coordinator. For example: “Hi, my name is Alex Longhorn. I’m a first-year history major taking business coursework to help prepare me for a position in marketing. Your office interests me because you value sustainability, which I value as well. I am very excited about the internship position you posted on HireUTexas and applied last week. I believe I would be a good fit for the position because of my extensive experience in marketing and event planning for PALS in high school and my dedication to helping spread awareness to the campus about sustainability issues. Would you like to see my resume?”