During my externship experience I was able to learn from many professionals at the company, many whom were Ursinus alumni! Our group learned about many facets of the pharmaceutical company, ranging from HR to laboratory science. We were able to tour some laboratory facilities and the North Wales campus itself. It was a wonderful learning experience that I am incredibly grateful for.

My favorite aspect of the externship was being able to learn from so many people. Hearing about such a wide variety of career journeys and expertise was a very inspiring experience. Those we had the privilege of learning from were encouraging and invested in helping us learn as much as we could from the experience, and I was able to explore possibilities that I had not previously considered.

My externship helped me discover more academic choices that I can pursue at Ursinus, but got me particularly invested in participating in research on campus! Hearing about my peers’ experiences was educational and inspiring!

I learned that there are so many additional factors to a pharmaceutical company that I had not been aware of. Many of the job titles that I was taught about were new to me and I found it fascinating to be exposed to so many potential career paths. The experience helped me prepare for my future career and helped be both discover new passions and rule out ones that I was torn between. One of my favorite aspects of our week at Merck & Co., Inc. was the mock interviews that we participated in—they were extremely helpful. This experience was educational beyond what I expected. I came out of the experience much more knowledgeable about pharmaceuticals and much more prepared to enter the job field after my education is complete.

Even if you are unsure if an externship experience is for you, it is absolutely worth a try. These opportunities give you exposure to possibilities that you may not even be aware of, and they are something that you should absolutely take advantage of!

Written by Alexa Alessandrini ’24