The Student Opportunity Center (SOC)
What is the Student Opportunity Center (SOC)?
Finding the right experiential learning opportunity can be challenging, but the Student Opportunity Center (SOC) is designed to make the process easier. Whether you're searching for an internship, co-op, undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, or another experiential learning opportunity, SOC provides tools and resources to help you discover opportunities that match your interests and goals.
The Student Opportunity Center (SOC) is a database resource for Virginia Tech students for undergraduate experiential learning opportunities. AEL actively curates opportunities from a variety of sources, creating a comprehensive collection of experiences from Virginia Tech, employers, organizations, and institutions across the United States and internationally.
Why Use SOC?
Rather than relying solely on organizations to post opportunities, AEL actively researches, verifies, and curates opportunities from multiple sources to help students discover experiences they might not find elsewhere.
With SOC, you can:
- Search for internships, co-ops, undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, and other experiential learning opportunities.
- Explore opportunities from Virginia Tech, employers, organizations, and institutions across the United States and internationally.
- Use keywords, filters, and the interactive map to narrow your search.
- Join Opportunity Groups to receive weekly curated opportunity emails during the academic year.
- Find undergraduate-focused opportunities without sorting through full-time positions.
Using the right keywords and filters can make a significant difference in your search results. Learn how to search effectively, explore different keywords, and use SOC's search tools to find opportunities that align with your interests, major, career goals, and preferred location.
Opportunity Groups allow you to receive weekly curated emails featuring about five experiential learning opportunities related to your academic program or areas of interest during the academic year. Join one or more groups to stay informed about new opportunities that match your interests.
If you're having trouble finding opportunities related to your major or interests, let us know. Submit the feedback form to suggest opportunity preferences, keywords, locations, or other information that would help improve your search experience.
Your feedback helps AEL better curate opportunities and identify areas where additional opportunities may be needed.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date on new experiential learning opportunities and resources throughout the academic year. Join Opportunity Groups to receive curated opportunity emails and follow AEL on Instagram for weekly opportunity highlights, student stories, and updates.