College internships, tenure gaps, and student outcomes: a multiple-treatment matching approach. Issue 4 (4th July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wesley Routon, P.; Walker, Jay K.
• Is Part Of: Education economics. Volume 27:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 383
• Page End: 400
• Publication Date: 2019-07-04
• Subjects: College internship -- academic outcomes -- gap year -- gap semester -- multiple-treatment matching -- propensity score matching; I23 -- I29 -- J29; Education -- Economic aspects -- Periodicals; 338.4737
• DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2019.1598336
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0964-5292

Abstract

ABSTRACT: College internships are popular and often promoted. Quantifying their impacts is difficult as students often take time away from classes to participate. We implement multiple-treatment propensity score matching to untangle the simultaneous effects of internships and discontinuous college tenure. Using a sample of over 442, 000 students from 619 US institutions, we estimate their on academic performance, human and social capital gains, college satisfaction, and post-graduation goals. Many of the benefits of internships would be underestimated if discontinuous college tenure were unaccounted for. In other words, students completing an internship without a break from classes are more changed by their experience.