Students start internship website after seeing need for reviews, information

BY LESLIE CONTRERAS SCHWARTZ
Special to Rice News

As summer approaches, students turn their attention to summer opportunities. Some travel, some find summer employment and some seek internships to gain real-world experience in their chosen professions.

	TOMMY LAVERGNE
	Pictured from left are Aniruddha Sen, Scott Norgaard, Eric Li and Ian Akash Morrison.

Rice programs often provide opportunities for student internships, and a few even require them — the School of Architecture, for example sends fifth-year students on a nine-month preceptorship with one of a number of high-profile architecture firms as a key part of their education. But students in many programs who seek internships have been left to their own devices in finding and obtaining internships, and the task can be daunting.

No longer, thanks to a group of enterprising Rice students who have created a website that not only lists internship opportunities, but also reviews them from a student perspective to help students find a good match for their skills and goals.

The idea for the website — Wisga.com — started during a car trip with a roommate, said founder Sid Richardson College junior Eric Li. It was August 2010, and Li, an economics major, had just completed an internship with an Internet venture in New York City.

”I realized that one of the most helpful parts of applying for the internship was that I was able to connect with someone who had the position previously,” Li said. ”They were able to provide personal and helpful information. I saw that I was fortunate to have this connection, but there was no real way for other people to find experienced alumni who had a particular internship previously.”

”We were frustrated with our own searching for internships,” said Wisga partner Aniruddha Sen, a Lovett College junior.

Thus, Wisga.com was born. The website, which will go live in September, will be integrated with Facebook and will feature reviews from Rice students on internships, fellowships and research opportunities as well as give information and advice on how to apply to particular internships. The operation has been completely self-financed, with Li contributing several thousand dollars for Web development.

Li held a focus group in November to seek interest and information from fellow students regarding their needs for this kind of website. He brought in Sen and Will Rice College junior Akash Morrison, and they sent a survey out to the Rice community before winter break. The survey had 350 responses, with 70 percent of the respondents answering that they would use the free service of this type of website. Working around a pingpong table at Li’s home in Katy over winter break last year, the three students created a business plan, performed business analysis and designed the website’s look. The site will contain only a few subscription-based features, but the main features, such as searching profiles, will be free and will serve only those students and alumni with a Rice email account.

Wisga will allow students to access more information than by just going to career services or by viewing a company’s website, such as whether the position will be a good fit and benefit the student and whether the position offers opportunities to be published.

”We really focus on the most relevant and feasible experiences,” Li said, ”as opposed to larger job boards like Monster.com, where there is not as much tailored information.

”Wisga’s main purpose is to help other students discover and secure the experiences that are the best for them. It’s a more socially driven way of finding that great summer opportunity.”

Recently, the Wisga.com team placed 12 out of 50 companies for an elevator pitch contest during the Rice Alliance Information Technology and Web 2.0 Venture Forum. The forum, which invited venture capitalists and other entrepreneurs to the Jones Graduate School of Business, allowed companies to make 90-second pitches for the particular competition.

”We think this is going to be nationally viral,” said Scott Norgaard, the company’s public relations representative and a Sid Rich College junior. ”This is a product for students by students.”