It’s that time of year. Your college student is starting to make plans for the summer. If they are a sophomore or junior, a summer internship is a great option. Not only will it give them experience in their chosen field, but it will also show your student what they like and don’t like about a specific job. Some collegians may need a little help navigating how to apply for college internships. Parents, note that I said they may need a little help – our job is not to find the internship for them.
Sophomore vs. Junior Year Internships
Most students begin the internship quest in earnest during their junior year. Summer internships between the junior and senior year of college are a “must-have” in today’s competitive job environment. However, opportunities still exist for college students the summer between their sophomore and junior years.
Are there less options for rising juniors? Absolutely. But with a bit of work and tenacity, securing one of these earlier internships can set your student apart. Not only for jobs upon graduation, but also for internships the following summer. First, it gives them additional experience than their peers who only apply for internships before their senior year of college. Second, if your student’s GPA is a bit low, compared to students at their particular college, then an earlier internship can help make him/her more marketable upon graduation. Note: most internships require a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered. If your student doesn’t meet that requirement, encourage him/her to take a class over the summer to further enhance their GPA.
Timing
One thing both my kids and I learned, is that many employers start searching for interns as early as the fall semester. This timing is quite different than when I went to college, when standard protocol meant applying at the beginning of spring semester, usually in January.
Does that mean your student can’t still find an internship for this summer? Not necessarily. But he/she should begin the process in earnest immediately. Internship applications should be submitted by the end of March.
Cover Letters and Resumes
Remember the good old days of typing class? While I cursed my mother for making me take typing in high school, I thank her today. It not only helped my keyboarding skills, but also taught me how to format cover letters and resumes. Sadly, this has become a lost art with the current generation of college students, who communicate mostly via email and text.
One thing parents can do to help their child secure an internship is to offer to edit their resumes and cover letters. This does not mean that you write them for your student. Instead, make sure your collegian utilizes the Career Services resources at their university. This department provides examples of resume and cover letter formatting. It also employs advisors who will critique your student’s resume and cover letter. Only after all of these steps have been completed should you, the parent, become involved.
Be prepared to review as many as ten cover letters. That is the least amount students should send out to secure an internship in today’s highly competitive job environment. Yes, it gets tedious, but the number of errors I’ve caught on both of my kids’ cover letters have made all of the time and effort worth it.
Coaching vs. Managing
When your student is ready to start searching for specific college internships, this is the time to step back as a parent. Sounds counterintuitive, I know. But students these days don’t only have Career Fairs and job postings at Career Services to pursue. They also have a number of job listing websites, literally at their fingertips, such as LinkedIn and Handshake, a career network specifically for college students. Will it surprise you when your 20-year old asks you to connect on LinkedIn? You bet. But it will also confirm that they are leading their internship search.
Housing
Unless your child attends college in a major city, chances are that he/she will find an internship in another location. Options can range from big cities for business majors to aquariums across the country for marine bio majors. And while some internship programs are large enough that they provide intern housing, many do not. Which means, you as a parent, need to get creative in helping your son or daughter find a place to live for the summer.
Renting an apartment is expensive, and could easily cancel out the income earned from the internship. As an alternative, seek out friends or family who live in the area where your college student will be working. Ask them if they would be willing to let your student stay with them for a few months, in exchange for paying for groceries or a small rent stipend.
Remember, the key to finding a college internship is up to your student. He/she needs to take ownership of the entire process. And while you sit on the sidelines, know that you are one step closer to becoming more of their coach than their manager. And that’s a win-win for both you and your student.
Great information, Liz! Thank you for the heads up to start before the junior year and in the fall, instead of the spring.
Thanks Katrina. Yes, starting to search for internships the earlier the better has never been more true than during COVID-19. Thanks for reading, Liz
If my daughter has an idea for an internship, can she approach a business to offer her services as an intern, or does it have to go through the university to get credit?
Colette, speaking solely from my own kids’ experience, both of them applied for internships already listed on the employers website or on Handshake. However, to get credit for an internship, your daughter does need to speak to the university first and she should reach out to her academic advisor. One of my daughter’s internships actually required her to have confirmation of college credit before she ever applied. Her advisor told her the steps that she had to accomplish this task. Keep in mind the steps vary by major and university.