Internships and other forms of work-based learning are increasingly viewed as essential experiences for college students. Proponents point out that internships help students develop transferable skills, apply academic knowledge to authentic situations, develop professional networks, and facilitate students' socialization and entry into the…

Internships for college students are widely promoted as a "high-impact" practice, yet the academic literature is limited by terminological imprecision, lack of data on intern demographics, and insufficient attention to the impacts of program format on student academic and developmental outcomes. In this mixed-methods study we analyze…