Distinctive

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D.

Each year, more and more students are asking about how to get a summer internship. While these opportunities are frequently competitive, they’re worth shooting for if you’re genuinely serious about your academic and/or professional ambitions, and are aiming for a highly selective college. To help you figure out your options and how to get them, I’ve compiled a list of options for you!

An Established Program

For my students in the Washington, DC area, you are spoiled for choice! I doubt that many other areas of the United States have as many established programs as we do, thanks to all the federal agencies. While trying to navigate the government’s U.S.A. Jobs website frequently leads to dead ends, carefully searching organizations of interest can lead to fruitful outcomes.

Thankfully, for students outside of the DC area, high school internships are not just available through Uncle Sam. Plenty of companies, non-profits, hospitals, museums, and other community-focused organizations offer opportunities, too. Start with your own interests and from there start googling organizations in your area. You may be surprised by how many internships you find!

In cases where you’re applying to an established program, you should keep in mind that they are mostly highly competitive and are best suited for straight-A (or nearly straight-A) students with some previous experience and/or education in the field. For that reason, you should get in touch with the coordinator to find out the typical credentials of accepted applicants to make sure that it’s worth your time to apply, since the applications themselves are very time-consuming. While most of the applications for these programs are due in February and March each year, there are some outliers with even earlier deadlines, so mark your calendars for next year if you’ve already missed one of interest for this year.

From there, complete the essays, collect the letters of recommendation and submit your résumé. And don’t just sit back and wait for someone to reach out to you. Be proactive by identifying potential mentors within the established program, because reaching out to them can help you secure a position. Think about it – if you make it easier for them to see that you’re a go-getter, they’re more likely to pick you over the silent student with similar credentials. And if you’re interested in entering a creative industry, like advertising or a tech startup, consider injecting your application with creativity. A bold gesture could help you land your dream internship!  

Connections

Many of my students have obtained internships through personal and family connections. In some cases, these opportunities have led to some really interesting outcomes. For example, one of my students assisted a company with a merger over the course of a summer, while another conducted research on drunk driving for an epidemiologist.

Do keep in mind, however, that one week doesn’t really count as an internship (this is something that I unfortunately frequently see in such instances). If you’re going to seek an opportunity in this manner, you should spend 3+ weeks helping the organization and learning from the people there. You’ll find you may get a lot out of the experience and you may just make a significant impact! Plus, your internship should not be at a parent’s company. While your mom or dad may do something incredibly interesting and you may even eventually decide to enter the family business, colleges want to see you branch out and demonstrate your merit.

Emailing Professors, Researchers, or Managers

For my students with ambitious academic goals, working with a professor, researcher, or area-of-interest professional over the summer (or during the school year, for that matter) can provide an amazing opportunity to demonstrate that you have the research and analytical skills to be successful at a top-tier college. While obtaining this type of internship may require a lot of persistence on the part of the student (one of my students once emailed 30 different professors before landing an internship at Johns Hopkins), it can allow you to do something that no other applicant can talk about. Colleges also love to hear stories about grit and determination, and sharing the fact that you got this internship on your own speaks volumes about your character!

One question I frequently get from students is, “What should I write in my letter?” Well, you should think of it as a cover letter that states your purpose, introduces yourself and your experiences, and explains your interest in the professor’s work and what you hope to contribute. To help you visualize what this looks like, I’ve provided an effective example below (names have been changed to protect identities):

Dear Professor Johnson,

I am applying for a school-year engineering internship in your Engineering Laboratory at the University of Southern Virginia. I first discovered the interesting work done there during a presentation given by Dr. James Webb, a physicist in the University of Southern Virginia’s Atomic Spectroscopy Group, at my high school. I then learned about the possibility of working with you through your graduate student, Kylie Minogue. I believe that my strong passion for engineering, as shown by the projects I’ve created in my school’s Project Lead the Way, my leadership in my school’s Women in Engineering Club, as well as my willingness to learn will make me a valuable asset in your lab.

My interest in engineering began in eighth grade when I first developed a Sea Perch robot that collected oil globs in a simulated oil spill. I then later had the opportunity to test it at the Naval Surface Warfare Center. From that point forward, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. To achieve that goal, I have taken a number of engineering and STEM-related courses at my high school and joined the national Project Lead the Way Engineering Pathway, through which I have taken Intro. to Engineering and Design (IED) and Principles of Engineering (POE). These classes taught me the value of efficient problem solving and innovation, which I plan to bring with me to your lab. In my IED course, I developed a tank and soldier toy set on a CAD program, which I later successfully 3D printed. In POE, I won an award for my design and assembly of a “Mars rover,” which can maneuver on uneven rocky terrain, collect magnetic rocks, and measure temperature under the surface with a hydraulic probe. This has inspired me to seek ways to further my knowledge doing more hand-on, real-life projects. While I read about your current research, especially your efforts in creating more efficient plane engines, I became excited to get involved in the engineering and processes behind this cutting-edge technology. I believe that the initiative that I have taken to increase the Aerospace Club’s engagement in hands-on projects as President will transfer into the work that I do with you at the University of Southern Virginia.

I hope to receive an opportunity to speak with you regarding the hard work, commitment, and passion I can bring to your Engineering Laboratory. You will find my résumé with this letter for your review. I look forward to communicating with you in the future. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Karen Miller

Make sure that an adult who has written cover letters before reads through your email before you send it. Your inquiry should show how you will be of assistance, not how the internship will help you!

High School Partnerships

Students with this opportunity may not appreciate just how lucky they are! While many students have to roll up their sleeves and ask around for opportunities, some high schools (both public and private) have established internship programs with local organizations. I’ve seen students find opportunities with places as diverse as environmental non-profits and the U.S. Congress this way. So check in with your counseling office. You never know what you may find!

Pay-to-Play

The last option, and admittedly my least favorite, is the pay-to-play: you fork out thousands of dollars to a company that then places you in an internship for the summer. You may wonder why I don’t like this option. Well, you’re basically paying someone to let you work for them for free. Not an ideal situation. I strongly believe that students gain more from doing volunteer work related to their interests, working a paid job, or studying on their own than by pursuing one of these “opportunities.”

Do You Need an Internship?

Simply put, “No.” Can it lead to outcomes and opportunities that other types of summer activities can’t? That answer often depends on you. Just because you get an internship, that doesn’t mean you should sit back and wait for your mentor to do things for you. You need to throw yourself in there, ask for responsibilities and opportunities, study what you don’t know on your own, and make contributions. Only then will your internship really help you stand out!