The University of Alabama was named No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference universities and No. 10 on the Princeton Review’s 2019 list of the country’s best colleges to attend for internship placement.

The Princeton Review determines its rankings based on students’ ratings of the availability of internship placement services at their schools.

Amy Bramlett, program manager of Career Services in the College of Communication & Information Sciences, said she was psyched when she heard about the ranking because after eight years in the Career Center, she knows all about the hard work that goes on.  

“There is a manager for experiential learning, there is an internship coordinator in every department,” Bramlett said. “So those people work behind the scenes and aren’t known to students until they have to be in the situation. So, when I saw the ranking it was literally that backbone of people including the Career Center as a central outlet that made it happen. I think it helped us to realize what we are doing is getting some recognition.”

Career Center Executive Director Melinda King said the ranking was validation for what the work staff members are doing in the Career Center, and it shows the impact it has had on the lives of students.

In the beginning of February, the Career Center began to offer extended hours for students. The Career Center is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday- Friday. King said she believes it is one step in the right direction to meet students where they are.

The Career Center staff arrived at Coleman Coliseum early Wednesday morning to prepare for the hundreds of employers and students coming to the first of two career fairs this week. The career fair is a place for students to introduce themselves to and network with employers in hopes of securing a job or internship for the future.

“It’s an important day for our students,” King said. “It’s an important day for our university, so we want to make sure we get it right.”

Gobind Kala, a senior majoring in management and information sciences, participated in the career fair for the second time. Kala said going into the career fair this year, he hoped to feel more prepared, get into contact with some good companies and build great connections.

“Just being a little bit more prepared and be able to dig deeper into some other connections, I’m pretty excited,” Kala said.

Isabella Hardt, a junior majoring in creative media, said she thinks if more students knew about the University’s internship placement ranking, more of them would apply for internships. She said it would also be a great way to attract more people to the University.

“I found it interesting because it hasn’t been talked about at all,” Hardt said. “I don’t think it is bragged about enough.”

Graphic info:

Students’ ratings of availability of internship placement services at their schools is how the Princeton Review determined its ranking.

Top 10 ranked schoolsBentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts

1. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts
2. Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana
3. University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia
4. Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts
5. College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virgina
6. Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina
7. Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas
8. Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois
9. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama