<p>Okay, that might sound strange, but let me explain: with AP credits and summer college courses I'm now a second semester sophomore. Not only credits-wise but also completion-wise (all my AP credits apply to my gen ed requirements except for three credits, and all my summer school courses apply to my major requirements and gen eds). So at the end of this academic year, I will have completed the first half of my junior year. Assuming I get accepted in to my school's business program, that means I'll have taken a bunch of stuff like finance, marketing etc by the end of this academic year.</p>
<p>I know the summer between junior and senior year is usually when people start internships at big, serious firms but what about for people in my situation? Do they take folks with half of their third year under their belt?</p>
<p>Yep, the reason employers take more serious looks at rising seniors is because they can treat an internship like an extended job interview. If you do a terrible job, you will leave with a handshake; if you do a mediocre job, you will leave with a handshake and an invitation to interview for a full time position; if you do an excellent job, you will leave with a handshake and a full time offer.</p>
<p>If you’re only a rising junior, the employer can’t give you that offer unless he’s out of his mind (I mean, who gives an offer to a college kid 18 months in advance?)</p>
<p>Don’t put stock into the fact that you are ‘technically’ a step above where you are expected to be. Put stock into when you graduate. Right now, you are a rising sophomore; next year you will be a rising junior, and the following year you will be a rising senior. If you overload on classes and push your graduation date up by a full year instead of just a semester, then you would have more luck applying to those junior internships, but you may run into different issues regarding experience that you would likely lack compared to your peers.</p>
<p>Everything you do has benefits and risks. This is no different!</p>
<p>Big4, right now I’d be graduating in December of 2013. </p>
<p>Chrisw, thanks for the info. Sounds like the internship won’t be an option until the summer of 2013, unless I somehow take an extra semester’s worth of classes between now and the end of this academic year… not happening! Hopefully I can still find some sort of small job related to my field, rather than working retail.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to take risks and be creative.</p>
<p>I graduated from HS in '08, finished college at UVa in '10 (due to AP credits), and completed a 1 year masters at UVa this summer. I did internships after my first year of college and between graduating and my masters program. I now have a great job and am way ahead of the kids I went to HS with. I also saved 40k by getting a BA and MS in 3 years instead of a BA in 4.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, should have noted that though you shouldn’t EXPECT to get a powerful internship, there are plenty of instances when non-rising seniors get internships that rising seniors usually get. You never know! It’s just that you will have it much more difficult than your older counterparts.</p>