So you’ve decided that this semester, summer, or year, is going to be the one where you finally get an internship. It’s time to grow up and have something to put on your resume besides “Babysitter from 2010-present." Everyone seems to have one, so it can’t be that hard to get hired, right? Well, I have yet to receive an email saying that I have been accepted as a Summer 2015 intern, so I have no idea what that feels like. BUT, I do know that applying for the things is a process and a half.
The Decision
You’ve received dozens of emails from various school listservs about internship opportunities. It is time to commit. Let’s get an internship.
The Distraction
If I’m going to have an internship, I’ll need cute business casual clothes. I wonder if H&M is having a sale. I bet Pinterest has internship boards full of potential outfits. And I’ll need a cute bag to carry all my official intern stuff in!
The Reality Check
After two hours of putting together outfits with clothes you don’t actually own, and after realizing your bank account can not support your new business casual wardrobe, you exit the shopping cart and get back to work.
The Realization
After making a list of all the places you want to apply, you look through to see what each application requires. Resume. Cover letter. Letters of recommendation…your advisor’s signature…work history…an essay…crap. This is going to take longer than expected.
The Self-Loathing
Regret starts to set in as you realize you should have signed up for more clubs and organizations at the activities fair earlier this semester. Meanwhile your friends have already completed research at a government facility twice and you’re just like, "I scooped ice cream last summer."
The Focus
Alright, it is GO TIME. One by one you start to send off applications. You feel like Oprah being all "and YOU get an application and YOU get an application!"
The Waiting
It’s been 3 and a half minutes and your email hasn’t received a response. Did they get it? Did I send it to the right email? You check the email address another dozen times before you feel confident the application went to the right place.
The Panic
Oh my God. Did you remember to change the date on your cover letter? And did you make sure it was addressed to the right person? You spell checked, right? Every possible scenario of things that could go wrong in your application runs through your head until you have to remove yourself from any electronic device with email. My personal favorite is taking a nap.
More Waiting
This is where I currently stand. Every time an email notification pops up, I rush to open it, only to see it’s another internship opportunity I should apply for, a bill to pay my sorority dues, or an email that a test grade has been released. Maybe a later article will be about what it's like to actually be an intern, but until then, good luck college students of the world. May your applications be strong and your offers be plenty.
