The survey says . . . Rose-Hulman ranks fifth nationally for career preparation through internships and co-ops when the 2018 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education and Princeton Review college guides asked  students to rate their college on its ability to assist them in securing internships.

Historically, 94 percent of Rose-Hulman students have at least one internship, co-op or research experience before graduation, and 80 percent have had two or more experiences, according to Kevin Hewerdine, director of career services and employer relations.

Those percentages are likely to continue this year. Nearly 240 companies and graduate schools attended Rose-Hulman’s fall career fair on Oct. 4, with most of them seeking candidates for upcoming internship and co-op work opportunities, along with summer research experiences.

“Internships are the lifeblood of our full-time hiring pipeline, and we’re not alone. Every company is seeking to get the most talented job candidates as early as possible in the process,” says Tom Zendzian, manager of operating technology for ArcelorMittal, an integrated steel and mining company with production facilities throughout the world. “We consider internships to be an on-going job interview. We get to know if the intern is a good fit for our company, and the student gets to know if they’re going to be happy working for us. It’s a win-win situation on both sides.”

Rose-Hulman annually hosts career fairs during each of the college’s three academic quarters. The fall event is the most popular because it comes at the beginning of the recruitment cycle for companies seeking to fill current or expected job openings in the spring or summer.