The one rule you need to follow when applying to summer internships: Think like a (*probably cis/straight/white) man.
*I say cis/straight/white because it is well-documented that boys of color and non-normative students are more likely to be reprimanded, punished, or even criminalized in school systems and therefore do not necessarily acquire the same mentality as cis/straight/white boys.
A frequently quoted statistic from Hewlett-Packard cites that while women generally apply to jobs when they are 100% qualified, men apply to jobs when they are only 60% qualified for the position.
This statistic is often interpreted to mean that women lack self-confidence, but there are so many other contributing factors. So here's some of what goes into that gendered application gap, and why we should think like a man (as much as that phrase makes me cringe with all my heart):
1. No one is actually qualified for an internship.
An internship is supposed to be on-the-job training and a learning experience. Yet time and again I find myself recoiling at long lists of required qualifications for a 10 week intern position. I'm in school full time and I'm still a teenager – exactly when was I supposed to have acquired previous experience in a very specific field? It feels overwhelming. You have to have a first job to get experience, so in this case the hyper-confident "screw it I'm 60% of the way there" mentality makes sense. Gotta start somewhere.
2. Guys aren't playing by the rules
Wow, crazy thought, I assumed "required qualifications" were actually required! The thing is, guys clearly aren't playing by that rule. At just 60% qualified, many are assuming A) they can make up the difference, B) that the requirements are more like guidelines, and/or C) that they might as well apply and see what happens. Those are three reminders of the gendered socialization of our society:
A) Girls/women are routinely told we're supposed to be bad at math, science, driving, physical skills, assertiveness, etc., so of course we might take a harder look at where we are lacking qualifications.
B) Rule-breaking is not permitted for girls the same way it is for boys. I distinctly remember learning this lesson in history class back in high school. The (female) teacher reprimanded me in front of the entire class for whispering a question to the girl next to me. We were told that if we couldn't stop "gossiping" we would have to split up and that any further issues would affect our grades. Excuse me for taking an interest in the structure of Iranian government.
Meanwhile in the same class a dumb-ass rich white boy would literally CHUCK A GODDAMN TENNIS BALL off the wall and at other kids. You know what the teacher told him? "Settle down, Luke." That's it. "Settle down." He was launching solid objects across the room during class and the only feedback he got was "settle down."
There is no serious down-side to bucking the rules for straight white boys. Girls (and probably other marginalized people, though I won't speak for them) learn early and often that rules are to be followed or else.
C) Failures are hard to shake for girls/women: studies show that “women’s mistakes tend to be noticed more and remembered longer, but women’s successes tend to be attributed to luck.” It makes sense that women would be more risk-averse since failure would have more repercussions. It's the same concept of some guys opening their mouths and saying anything, whereas many girls/women say sorry before they even ask a simple question.
So in conclusion, think like a cis/straight/white man.
Sure, it would be great if some sort of equilibrium occurred, a meeting in the middle. But it seems unlikely to me that entitled white guys are gonna stop acting like entitled white guys anytime soon. So push aside the doubts that have been attached to your gender, sexuality, race, etc and go get that low-paid mediocre internship you've always dreamed of!
