Off-Campus programs
Calvin offers semester-long programs in Britain, China, France, Ghana, Honduras, Hungary, The Netherlands, New Mexico, Spain, Thailand and Washington, D.C. The semester names in bold have a biology focus, component or elective option.
As a Calvin student, you may also participate in non-Calvin semester programs.
Off-campus interim courses
Each year, the Calvin offers a number of interim courses that explore special topics in-depth. In 2011, the following medically-related off-campus interim courses were offered:
- Partnering to improve health in rural India
- Border Health - New Mexico
- Leadership in Africa: Development, Church, Education, Health and Civil Society in Kenya
- China: Culture, Medicine and Bioethics
- Hawaiian Food and Farms
- Sustainability in New Zealand
Internships
An off-campus internship can be the perfect opportunity for you to find professional application for the concepts and principles you learn in Calvin's pre-professional program.
As an intern, you would work on a specific project under the direction of an employer-supervisor in an academic, non-profit or government agency. You will earn four credit hours for your internship and may be paid a stipend.
Finding an internship
Where should start when looking for an off-campus internship?
- Your professors and advisor are always a good place to start when searching for an off-campus internship opportunity.
- Watch the biology department summer research bulletin boards on the first and second floors of De Vries Hall for postings of summer research internship opportunities.
- As a pre-professional student, you will receive announcements via e-mail about internships, so keep an eye on your inbox.
- Search for internships online and by networking with acquaintances who have contacts in the research world. You may be able to find an opportunity in your own hometown or a different part of the country or world where you would love to travel.
Places to start your search
Following are ongoing internship opportunities that Calvin students have taken advantage of in the past:
- Each summer, the National Science Foundation funds Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) at universities and research institutes all over the country. These programs cover all areas of science. A stipend, usually $3,000–4,000 is provided as well as housing, meals and travel expenses.
- The Van Andel Research Institute has a very close relationship with Calvin College and many students are accepted into the summer research program (see the "Real World" example above). Applications for summer are due in February. Lab assistant positions are also available during the academic year and summers.
