Real World Experiences

We learn by doing. We tinker and sculpt. We are makers and artists, farmers and researchers. We work with experts and pitch our own ideas. During our unique three-week terms, in our small, hands-on classes, in our faculty-mentored research programs, we test drive and hone ideas about the world we want to see. We shape our own futures.

Sweet Briar students get their hands dirty working in our apiary. Sweet Briar students get their hands dirty working in our apiary.

What the buzz is about

We keep the bees and maintain the hives of our apiary. We market and sell the honey. We research the impact of bees on the ecosystem.

Abigail Huling ’25 excavates an archeological site in Albania as a part of the Honors Summer Research Program.

Julianna McIntyre ’25 studies how the dietary salt content of monarch butterflies influences their genetic expression in salt-sensitive genes as a part of the Honors Summer Research Program.

Music Professor Joshua Harris works with students in the multimedia production studio.

Alexa Dahlin '18, internship at VCCA.

Emily Schloshberg '19 works with a horse in a riding internship.

Rachel Logan '21 assembles a hydroponic system as part of her Engineering Capstone project.

Angel Lindberg '21 constructs a hydroponics system as part of an Engineering Capstone project.

Engineering Community

We tackle community projects and showcase our prototypes, like a hydroponic system for the greenhouse, a smart compass to locate lost hikers and a silent alert system for library windows. If it’s needed, useful and interesting, we’ll engineer it!

Internships

From Capitol Hill to the steppes of Kazakhstan, 80% of Sweet Briar students complete internships. We join the horse business and the political world. We are EMTs and kayak guides, arts administrators and journalists.

Elizabeth Phaup '18 in Alaska working as a sea kayak guide.

Admissions Blog: Summer internship success stories

There’s only one way to gain experience in something, and that’s to actually, physically do it. Yes, we’re talking about internships. At Sweet Briar, 80 percent of students intern at least once during their time here. (If you’re an engineering student, make that 100%.)