R.E.A.L. Experience
How it works
Relevant Skills
In an employment landscape that is rapidly changing, you need to hit the ground running upon graduation. You also need to be prepared to adapt what you’ve learned and apply it in new ways to solve problems in jobs that don’t even exist yet.
To do this, you need relevant, transferable skills like artistic understanding and practice; communication; creativity and innovation; critical thinking and complex problem solving; data analysis, interpretation and application. You need difference and perspectives; emotional intelligence; ethical reasoning and decision-making, faith integration; leadership; teamwork and collaboration; and technological literacy.
These are the skills that will help you continue to learn throughout life, making you more curious, more thoughtful, more open-minded, more culturally responsive, more interested in other people, more humble, and more comfortable with complexity and mystery.
Experiential and Applied Learning
During your time at Bethel, you will be exposed to hands-on learning experiences that directly tie to what employers are looking for.
Among Bethel seniors, 98% have participated in at least one high-impact practice like studying abroad, completing an internship, conduction faculty-led research, or volunteering through service learning. And 88% have participated in two or more hands-on learning activities. Both of these data points are consistently higher than the national average.
From managing a $1 million student investment fund to redesigning a website for a local company, and from political science simulations to community art installation … your college experience will be filled with relevant skill-building opportunities that prepare you for your career of choice and give you an edge in the continuously changing workforce.
Demonstrated Value
It’s not enough to get good grades and make lasting memories while earning your college degree. You need to be able to demonstrate the skills you’ve developed and clearly articulate how your hands-on experiences have prepared you to solve major problems and make a positive impact in the world.
So, we’ve developed a comprehensive system to help you document the relevant, experiential, applied, learning that you will encounter during your time at Bethel. Upon graduation, you will have a portfolio that highlights the skills you’ve built and the experiences you’ve had in ways that will translate well to the job search process.