<p>I've been looking through internship opportunities sponsored by my college, and they are all wonderful and I would love to obtain one, only after reading the biographies of the fellows/internship recipients I feel vastly unprepared for most of the positions. I am definitely going to still try and apply for them, but I would like to look for other possible internships in case I won't make any of them. My academic director told me that the summer after freshman year is usually the hardest for students looking for an internship as they don't have the accumulated experience/resume the other students have when applying. I have been googling job listings/etc for locations I'm interested in, but I have also encountered numerous websites that require a program fee to apply or charge fees for the internship itself (which I can't afford, even though there are scholarships available). I'm interested in politics, law, human rights, history, English.The parents here have always given me wonderful advice, so I'm turning to you again to ask what advice you could give me to help in my search?</p>
<p>Have you tried contacting NGOs? How about working in your congressional representative’s office? Does your school run summer programs for low income children?</p>
<p>It’s true that the summer after freshman year is the hardest. Not only do you have no other internships on your resume, but you also have very little other experience, and even very few courses to draw on. And, many organizations will not think it difficult to turn you down because you are “only a freshman” and you will have many more important years ahead to get other internships. </p>
<p>Now that you’re depressed…there are things you can do. The best idea for a post-freshman year internship is to really take advantage of any networks your parents, friends parents, profs, any adult you know might have. Do your parents have friends who are lawyers who would be willing to have free slave labor for a summer at their firms? Can you volunteer with the local library organization? Do you know any teachers who might have connections to local summer schools or small museums (look especially at local city or cultural museums that may get few volunteers). </p>
<p>Look close to home as well, living at home the first summer after freshman year is often the most practical option, you can save money and even get a part time job to complement a part time internship. </p>
<p>Also, think small. Remember that you are in fact probably not qualified to do much on paper, so look for little things. Instead of applying for a US Senator’s office for example, apply to intern with a state senator, state representative, or in a city or state department. Apply to be a counselor at a camp for low income or immigrant children, even if it is a volunteer position. Volunteer at LOCAL organizations, such as League of Women’s Voters, Planned Parenthood (if that fits your beliefs), Get out the vote organizations. Look for small local organizations that have websites and sign up for their mailing lists, go to their event, find the organizer, and say “how can I help?” </p>
<p>Look for anyone who might be running for an elected position. That includes city councilperson, dog catcher, schoolboard. Call them up and offer to help with their campaign. Many elected positions require a certain number of signatures just to get on the ballot, so they look for volunteers to collect those. Or people who can make signs, organize phone banks, or what have you. </p>
<p>Remember that something doesn’t have to have “internship” in front of it to be important experience and networking. Remember that you will probably be doing very uninteresting work, but the first internship is the hardest and this is only a stepping stone to better, more substantive things. Remember that just because a place doesn’t advertise a formal “internship program” almost no place will turn down free labor, so it never hurts to offer. </p>
<p>In the meantime VISIT YOUR CAREER CENTER at your school, and have one of their pros read your resume. If you think you know how to write a resume and cover letter, but have never had your resume reviewed by a professional career counselor, believe me, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Even if you are a good writer (I am), you will be shocked at how wrong you can be about your resume (I was). And it’s very important you have a reliable resume on hand, because you just never know.</p>
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<p>Perhaps you can approach nonprofit agencies and propose an internship, rather than wait for them to create it and contact your university.</p>
<p>For example: Go blue collar. Contact a labor union, town hall office, or police department. Even if you end up doing some junky office chores, as a rising sophomore you’ll breathe in the culture of the institution, meet the people, see the issues they handle. </p>
<p>For history/english interests: Is there a state branch of a federal grant-awarding agency, such as the National Endowment for the Arts or Humanities? If so, find out who in your area received project grants from NEA or NEH, and for what. Chase after them and offer to volunteer this summer as an intern. </p>
<p>Contact your local offices for tourism (state or county level). They might need someone to research something for their promotional catalogues/websites. </p>
<p>To give an idea of how creative you can be: I read of 2 history students who researched their city’s old houses and wrote the basis of a Ghost Tour (popular at Hallowe’en). They put together newspaper obituaries, town records of murders and suicides, and pegged them to actual houses. They wrote the script for the Ghost Tour and went into business. I believe it started out as a history research project for the municipality.</p>
<p>I’m just saying you can be very creative with a history project. Our city has a cemetery that has a lot of historic interest. Someone once had to write the tour script used by the civic volunteers. If you know of any local tourist sites that need more cultural research to make a tour, pamphlet or website more interesting, approach the people who run it and ask if they’d like you to rewrite their materials this summer, following some new research. Even a Kiwanis or Chamber of Commerce in the older part of town might like some research on the history of the buildings and businesses along the main historic streets. Or, you just do the history research and let them rewrite their tour, website or whatever. Ask for a workspace in their office building, rather than work alone at home, so you encounter people daily.</p>
<p>Forgot one other thing: State Transportation Agencies. Often offer paid internships, and since a lot of money in any state goes into the transport budget, it’s a good way to observe how decisions with taxpayer money gets made on the level where it counts - Locally. </p>
<p>Also, departments of commerce or comptroller, any state agency that does not sound glamorous really, you will want to check them out.</p>
<p>A good county agency to approach might be the Bureau of Elections. They often have much technical work to do before an election year, concerning voter registrations and such. </p>
<p>There’s an upcoming U.S. Census, and might have need. To be a census worker, I think the timing isn’t right for summer 2010, but maybe there’s preparation now.</p>
<p>How about getting a JOB! This whole internship thing is getting a lot of companies free labor. Time to go back to basics and look for a regular job. ;)</p>
<p>In the OP’s defense, it’s hard to get a job now as a freshman spending a summer home from college. Jobs that used to take young people now either aren’t hiring, or are investing in workers who will be there for more than just a few months and have some kind of skill. </p>
<p>Also, if she wants to pursue the fields she listed above as a career, internships are ESSENTIAL. Yes, they give companies free labor, but if you choose wisely and work hard, they also give you invaluable contacts without which you can’t hope to land a job in your field after graduation. And they give you experience so that when you do get a post-grad job, you know something about working in a particular issue area. </p>
<p>Internships are a fact of life now. They are near essential in many professions, though they don’t preclude getting a job neccessarily. You can work part time and intern part time. Or intern during the day and work at night. Intern and babysit. Few interns are lucky enough to be able to just do their internship and then not also have paying work on the side. Smart colleges are offering stipends to help with this, but for many it still requires working two jobs, one you get paid for, and one you don’t.</p>
<p>Great advice here. I’m saving this for my D.</p>
<p>Have you registered in the Career Development Center at Stanford?</p>
<p>Be sure to check additional opportunities at Stanford…</p>
<p>[UAL</a> - Departmental Research Programs](<a href=“http://ual.stanford.edu/OO/research_opps/ResearchDepartments.html]UAL”>http://ual.stanford.edu/OO/research_opps/ResearchDepartments.html)</p>
<p>[UAL</a> - Internships](<a href=“http://ual.stanford.edu/OO/internships/Internships.html]UAL”>http://ual.stanford.edu/OO/internships/Internships.html)</p>
<p>Wow. Thank you all so much for your responses! I’m definitely not stuck on getting an “internship” --at this point I’m open to pretty much anything that will allow me to gain experience. Thanks again for all the suggestions and links 
I was also wondering, usually how early do people establish internships? I know for a lot of them I won’t find out until March (app deadlines are around Feb).</p>
<p>Most deadlines are between Feb-March, but it’s not uncommon to be without a proper internship until April or even May. Just keep looking, applying, and trying. Keep drawing on your networks, both alumnae and family. Ask your profs if they know anyone. I applied to over 20 internships before finding one through an alum contact. Never give up hope is the main thing. </p>
<p>Be conscious though, federal government agencies stop looking in early November. If you’re wedded to an idea or an agency, make sure you start early and find out the deadline. If you missed it, remember there’s always next year, and start planning how to position for it in the future.</p>
<p>S&P, you’re a recent grad - -how did you spend your summers? Did your summer work (employment or internship) assist you in landing full-time employment? Or did they enhance a grad school app?</p>
<p>I spent my summers doing internships, but usually also with some kind of part-time job on the side like babysitting or something else that was flexible. </p>
<p>And yes, my summer work directly impacted and led to my post-grad employment. Not only by helping me build experience, but also by helping me create a network of people who later helped me get my job. Finding your first job is a lot like researching a college, if you’re lucky enough to know what you want, you should start preparing early.</p>
<p>Thank you so much SmithieandProud I’ll try my best :D</p>