I know that having such a large college student population in and near Boston/Cambridge is a huge plus in most respects, but does it make it difficult to find internships and jobs?
Yes but there are also tons of startups and other companies, and many of these companies advertise in the Boston area, perhaps through career fairs or other events.
It’s a bit of a double edged sword - there are certainly tons of opportunities in virtually every field, but competition can often be quite fierce. I had to send out about 30 applications last year in order to snag just a couple of internships for the summer (I sent applications everywhere from private publications to state agencies to non-profits, etc…)
Yeah, same experience here. Lots of opportunities, very competitive. I’m not sure what it evens out to, but I sent out about 15 or so applications this semester and got 3 responses. Basically it is common practice just to put as many applications out as you can and see who bites. It also starts early: I already have my summer internship lined up.