Internships and Co-op programs are increasingly gaining popularity with undergrad students. While the two topics have some overlap and are often spoken about together, they are actually quite different. In this article, we shall focus on Internships. The core purpose of an internship is to gain skills and to acquire valuable hands-on experience at companies and organizations – environments where you could be spending a good portion of your career. Many colleges are also making this part of their curriculum, where students spend some part of their time or in some cases entire semesters, doing part-time or full-time internships.

 

Doing an internship is an equally fabulous idea for high school students. In addition to looking good on your college application, it allows you to explore your interests in career fields of your choice before you commit to a college major. Getting real-life work experience, getting a bird’s-eye view of working life, opportunity to socialize and network with experts in that field, developing a good work ethic etc. are some of the other benefits.

 

 

How can I find a good internship?

 

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are searching for an internship opportunity.

 

• Always start with the area or field of study in which you would like to do an internship. You can refine your search to positions related to this. Alternatively, look for opportunities that allow you to engage in activities that you enjoy doing e.g. talking to new people or working in a research lab

• Make sure to look at college websites to see if professors have requirements in any of their research labs. Many do and it would be a great way to get a direct link to work that is actively being pursued in a college of your choice

• Try and find out about the research work being done by leading practitioners in your chosen area e.g. If you are interested in psychology, look for the work being done by leading psychologists. Search online, talk to friends and family, be opportunistic; maybe a local government body or even your school may present some opportunities.

 

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Maximize your learning

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There are a few things that students should be do in order to maximize what they get out of their internships.

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• Make sure you are clear on what is expected from you. This is your #1 priority – one that you are expected to engage in and complete with 100% commitment

• Be clear about things like duration, timings, flexibility in schedule etc. Make sure you are able to manage the workload – it has to work for you. Extracurriculars should never compromise your academic work, so make sure not to be penny wise, pound foolish

• Talk to people you work with about what they do, what they find interesting and what got them into this area. Most people love to talk about their work. You will learn a lot and also gain valuable insights from their experiences, in addition to hearing many interesting stories

• Sometimes the work can seem tedious or boring but continue to apply yourself. Use this time to learn as well as to demonstrate professionalism.

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Links

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Search online is often the best method. The following sites (randomly selected from many similar ones) are dedicated to internship listings. You can narrow the search based on your areas of interest, full time or part-time, work from home options etc.

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https://www.youtern.com/

https://www.chegg.com/internships/

https://internshala.com/  (India based internships)

 

Beware of programs that promise to make you a leader or claim to be affiliated with xyz university etc. Similarly, something that sounds exotic e.g. international volunteer work, may not add much value unless it arose from an authentic interest and has a meaningful link to you. Instead find something that interests you and do it with passion and commitment.

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When you get down to it, an internship is all about doing something you like in your area of interest and maximizing your learning. Focus on these two core objectives and you are all set for an enriching internship experience.

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College & Me is a series of articles featuring useful information about College Admissions for undergraduate degree programs in US colleges. 

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