James Stellar, President
This is just what students need today!
Nick Haynes, Career Services
Phenomenal! What a great way for students to figure out what they want to do and make professional connections in their desired fields.
Lonny Butcher, Business Professor
The program has everything from getting out of your comfort zone to taking risks to being active (doing things) to figure out what you want to do matches perfectly to what we are teaching.
School Resources
5x5x5 Program Overview
This program is designed as a six-week summer program, giving college students an opportunity to experience a rapid prototyping of work and culture across America. After a week orientiation, each student will experience five different jobs and stay with host families in order to earn college credit. Students begin by identifying multiple career fields that interest them (e.g. engineering, health, marketing). Based on each student’s interests, they will work a diverse paid or unpaid job each week throughout the duration of the program. Additionally, a qualified mentor on the jobsite will supervise each student during the work experience, advising, fielding questions about the job and supporting the student's objectives for that week. Students will have the opportunity to select geographic regions/states of interest. The program coordinates job placements within the student’s geographic preference.
Living the Map's Role
Living the Map collaborates with each student to understand their academic and geographic interests. Through the student’s application and an ongoing dialogue, the Program Directors work with the student to brainstorm career fields in which the student’s interests and skills would be best utilized, to maximize their experience.
From there, the Program Directors coordinate with partner employers to identify a job placement and an on-the-job mentor for the student each week. The worksite and mentor are key ingredients to the student’s immersion in the summer job, ultimately contributing to the student’s understanding of the profession, while helping the student decide how the job fits to their career goals, life skills, and personal interests.
In addition, the Program identifies a “host family” to house the student each week near the student’s respective job site. We create a student profile to share with the potential host families. The host family is an incredible opportunity for the student to experience not only a career, but also a culture. The host family, which provides breakfast, dinner, and sleeping arrangements, also gives the student an expanded network and the chance to experience the lifestyle and culture of their geographic location.
Your Role as a Participating School
The school will be responsible for ensuring that the student receives credits for the program, and meeting the institution’s requirements to that end. Living the Map lets the college use its discretion to ensure students earn credits for the program. Our partner schools select a faculty sponsor, which administer the assignments of the program for the academic component and reflections of experiential education. Many schools developed a syllabus, including required readings and learning objectives. Each student was required to conduct two informational interviews each week, keep a journal, and attend weekly meetings with the faculty sponsor. Some years, students participated on a panel discussion in front of a student audience to share their experiences.
The school is also expected to collaborate with Living the Map to organize, coordinate, and execute a Student Orientation. The Orientation will cover topics such as work etiquette, managing and adapting to new environments, and how to conduct oneself with host families.
Finally, the school is expected to confirm that the students have acceptable health insurance, and impose the rules and regulations in harmony with the college handbook and related liability or waivers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I set up billing for paying LTM for setting up the sites and finding host families?
Students pay for the program through their university; tuition for credits earned, all deposits and remaining fees based on the application timeline. The school will disperse the total payment to Living the Map.
What does the Academic Component look like for the 5x5x5 Summer Internship Program?
Each school creates their own academic requirements. For a majority of schools they include reflection papers, final presentations, a common book read throughout the program and require informational interviews during the program. Students’ set learning objectives with their faculty sponsor and set weekly goals with the internship supervisor. Professional development components are also incorporated into the program; for example, introduction and thank you emails sent by the student.
How many credits would students receive for completing the 5x5x5 Summer Internship Program?
Varies from 3-8 credit hours, depending on each university.
How is the 5x5x5 Summer Internship Program assessed and evaluated?
Each employer provides a site evaluation and/or performance evaluation at the conclusion of the internship week.
What are the liabilities for the University if we decided to sign up for this program? What legal forms are used in this program?
Living the Map provides a Memorandum of Understanding that each student, employer and host family must sign.
What role does the university play in promoting the 5x5x5 program to their students?
Living the Map asks each school it works with to help promote the program by: sending emails to a list-serve of students who sign up for internship notifications, information sessions via Skype, posters and flyers provided by Living the Map distributed around campus, having applications on hand for each campus point of contacts, course catalog listings or social media posts.