Determining Placements

Unlike in competitive job-placement programs, we do not try to find the "best candidate" for an externship. Rather, the overall goal of the Cornell FRESH Program is to extend the opportunity for a career-related shadowing experience to as many students as possible.

To accomplish this goal, we first identify externships where there is only one applicant and place that student in the externship (if s/he meets the sponsor's requirements and other requirements or other preferences), regardless of student's choice order.

After single-applicant externships are filled, the placement process considers sponsor's requirements and preferences, student's choice order, and are reviewed by staff who consider many variables, primarily:

• how well the student's interests fit with the description;
  
• which student will benefit most from the externship based on the student's introduction essays;
  
• previous exposure to the career field;
  
• academic background, etc.
  

In the event of further ties, the student with the lowest lottery number will be placed in the externship.

Before a student is placed in an externship, all placements are reviewed to ensure that:

1. students meet sponsor and program requirements and sponsor special requests;
2. all 3 Steps of the application process have been completed sufficiently and by the 7:00 pm deadline, on Monday, February 4;
3. the Introduction Essays are developed adequately enough to give the sponsor direction as to what the student hopes to gain from the experience;
4. the student has published a resume to the FRESH Program Resume Book through the Cornell CareerNet system. (We recommend having resumes critiqued by your college career office or 103 Barnes Hall.)