<p>This is a perennial problem. My boys were luckily able to work a couple of summers at their father’s office (computer related city planning/airport/environmental work) but after that it was tough out in the real world. </p>
<p>One son worked for a start up that went under, but through craigslist he was able to get another position within 24 hours or so and stay in the city he wanted to be in over the summer. Yay computer science and being needed.</p>
<p>Summer camp is a good source for jobs. There are camps in many academic fields, and they all need energetic young college students as (poorly) paid staff. It’s a good experience and fun, though my son didn’t want to do it more than one summer. Been there, done that, got 2 t-shirts, need a better paying job. :)</p>
<p>As an upperclassman, S was able to get the Microsoft internship that is a plum in the CS world.</p>
<p>I just emailed S who is a freshman in a co-op program to ask if he knows yet when he will start co-op, summer or fall? Seems like it would be a LOT easier to find a job after the summer glut is over.</p>
<p>It is hard to get meaningful internship freshman year. Employers generally are not interested because freshmen haven’t taken enough relevant courses to be useful and they can’t be hired full time until few years later.</p>
<p>I would focus more on getting a job that pays well (or just pays). Freshman year D1 worked for a web educational company part time (through her own connection), and tutored many hours on the side. She made $50/hour on tutoring, which she continued through out four years in college. Sophomore year when she did an unpaid internship relevant to her major, tutoring supplemented her unpaid internship. </p>
<p>D1, as a dancer, also taught classes at her old studio over the summer too. For kids who did varsity sports in HS or college could look into be an assistant coach for local team or a private coach if living in an affluent area. D1 had few requests to give private lessons, but didn’t due to time. </p>
<p>D1’s good friend in college worked at a high end department store as a commissioned salesperson. It was the kind of job she could do whenever she went home for few weeks. She was very good, so they always let her work.</p>
<p>Except in technical fields such as computer science, where all internships seem to be paid, it is very difficult for underclassmen to obtain paid internships.</p>
<p>Although there’s no harm in trying, the student may want to apply for alternate summer experiences instead – ordinary summer jobs, unpaid internships, or summer school – just in case it doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>I agree that having completed your freshman year in college doesn’t really qualify you much past your previous summer as a high school graduate. Look for any paying job for money and then start looking in the middle of your sophomore year, although that is also a little early for many employers. </p>
<p>Go back to your neighborhood and think about any adult you know (or even don’t know) and what field they are in and contact them, they sort of expect it if they’ve been approached before, or are honored and impressed if they haven’t been asked before. Also, keep in mind that asking to speak to someone for information about what they do and how they like it, etc. is very flattering so that might be a good approach and then they might either suggest places/people to continue your search or offer something to you directly.</p>
<p>My husband is asked all the time; we even had a friend ask two years prior if her son could contact my husband when he finished his junior year. Sure enough, he’s working as a very well paid, well trained intern this summer. We even have “acquaintances” contact us for work, as I said, it’s expected - it takes a village. And who knows? The kids might actually be good and will be hired upon graduation! If not, he’s done a good thing for the kid, having my husbands company on your resume is impressive.</p>
<p>Our daughter is looking for an acting internship, hard to come by, but she’s contacting all sorts of people from our neighborhood, many of whom have never been asked before, and getting leads and auditions. One place is even considering her for an internship even though they’ve not done that before. Just keep your options open!</p>
<p>One of my nieces had a paid internship the summer after her freshman year. She was a research assistant during her freshman year and the professor running the lab asked her if she would continue during the summer. She had a year of AP credits going in and she was comfortable working in a research area that many other students would find distasteful. It’s probably too late to get on-campus jobs in a department but those kinds of jobs can help launch summer internships as the student then has experience.</p>
<p>Reading your responses, I’m seeing that she’s extremely lucky to have had the internship she had last summer and should probably try to work there again this summer. The working conditions were professional and very pleasant and the pay was good ($12/hr.) As a college student, she would receive $15/hr, which I think is excellent for a summer job. The work wasn’t particularly stimulating, though of course that’s to be expected at this level. What bothered her more was that the job was so solitary. Everyone worked alone the whole day. The other employees didn’t even take lunch breaks, but ate at their desks. So while she wouldn’t mind returning there this summer, she would like to try something else if feasible.</p>
<p>TheGFG, would it be possible for your daughter to work part-time at her in-the-bag internship? She could then find something different and possibly more resume-building (even if unpaid) to occupy the other chunk of time.</p>
<p>To answer your questions, she’d definitely be willing to remain on campus, but I’m not certain she could afford it. She’d have to be allowed stay in a dorm or grad student housing because off-campus housing would be very expensive there. She is keeping her eye on campus summer opportunties, but so far has only found jobs for upperclassmen or grad students, or unpaid positions.</p>
<p>^ Probably not, Slithey Tove, because of time constraints. She has a bit of a commute to the job, and is a D1 athlete with a summer training regimen to complete.</p>
<p>I do not know if this is still the case, but lo these many years ago, through college and into my first year of law school, I worked each summer and winter break at the Department of State. It was the most incredible experience I could imagine - monitoring the fall of Iran in the 24 hour Operations Center, working to rejoin families separated in refugee camps after the US pulled out of Vietnam, acting as relief receptionist for Henry Kissinger - the list is endless. Some schools gave their students credit, and those students were not paid, but UVa did not offer credit. I know other agencies did similar things, and hope they still do. Of course, you would have to come up with housing if you do not live within commuting distance, but the experience was incredible, and well worth checking out.</p>
<p>Knowing someone or just being plain lucky certainly helps. In my D’s case she asked our neighbor, who is the CEO of a small biotech company, if the company ever hired students for summer positions. He told her no, but that they did bring on 4 or 5 undergraduate science and business/econ majors as paid interns each summer. That sounded good to her so she applied, and has worked in the lab and in the marketing department the past two summers. She also worked for this company during winter break this year helping prepare the firm’s annual report. She considers herself lucky, both for taking the initiative to ask our neighbor about job opportunities and for having a CEO for a next door neighbor.</p>
<p>Maybe this should be a separate thread, but I’d love to get some input for D on how to develop enough of a relationship with several professors so that she could obtain from them the letters of recommendation needed to apply for many internship programs. Would going to office hours be enough?</p>
<p>First of all, unlike year-long high school classes, college classes last only a quarter or semester. That’s often too short a time to get to know each other. Secondly, the younger students are more likely to be in large intro. classes in which professor-student interaction is limited. Underclassmen are probably mostly taking courses that meet distribution requirements and which are not necessarily in areas of strength. Even courses in the major will be foundational, and not well-suited for displaying advanced research skills, etc.</p>
<p>^^I’m sure others will have suggestions, GFG, but one thing worth mentioning is that, for underclassman, the LORs don’t necessarily have to come from professors. Instructors, or even graduate student TAs who probably know the student better than the prof in a large university, can be perfectly suitable for some internship recommendations.
Underclassmen aren’t expected to have advanced research skills, so that shouldn’t be a problem. If the internship requires them, it’s probably not a good fit anyway.</p>
<p>At LAC, LORs will come from the prof. Also, students at LAC have plenty of contact with profs in their major (seminars, special classes for majors only, etc.) and often far more substantive contact that HS students have with teachers in year-long classes. That may be one reason some of the more competitve internships require jr standing.</p>
<p>On LOR’s from college instructors… if you go to the Transfer Forum, where this is a significant issue (as students are often applying for transfer as sophomores, so will be seeking LORs with only one semester/quarter (or less) completed by the time apps are headed out), you will see lots of tips on how to develop those relationships.</p>
<p>I also agree with the poster above - at LACs because of small class sizes, it is not that much of a problem. At any U/college… if there are opportunities for freshman seminars, or the equivalent, this is a way to get closer access to instructors/professors.</p>
<p>DD is very aggressive, diligent, smart and impressive but still she had a tough time clearing the final round of interviews with top established companies during her freshman year.
She cleared first round interviews with FB, Google, Apple but didn’t make the final cut. The only opportunities she had was startup in Boston and NYC. So we asked her to come and stay with us for the summer.
Since she have always been very aggressive, she started emailing her acquaintance in academia in bay area prior to coming home and found an internship with a startup through it.
It paid a lumpsum stipend for 8 weeks internship but she enjoyed it.</p>
<p>DD has done paid summer internship since junior year of high school.</p>
<p>This year she had done much better and have a couple of very good companies given her offers for paid summer internship and she is still waiting for others.</p>
<p>So to answer OP question, freshman year is tough but comparing to last year number of opportunities this year are much more, so there is a good chance to grab something. This is what might be a very good strategy:
Spend time and prepare a good CV/Resume. DD has it from junior year of High School.
Take classes on tackling or surviving technical interviews @ college.
Get in touch with college career office now.
Be assertive and diligent in your search for internship. Email as many people as possible. Have draft ready to send.
Many companies have internship program, where you can apply directly.</p>
<p>My D is a current freshman and just landed a “semi-paid” internship with a summer stock company (she is a musical theatre major). It includes room and board and a small stipend. She found out about it by doing google searches of every summer stock and theatre company in any city where we have friends or relatives (for a place to live). She sent out about a dozen resumes and was lucky enough to have a hit. Of course, she’s still applying to a higher paid internship in her home town but it is a long shot and it’s good to have a “bird in the hand.” For her, it was just perseverance and a good resume/references.</p>
<p>My D is a high school senior who will be starting college this fall. She plans to major in computer science. As a senior this year, she has had the opportunity to intern at a nationally top ranked university research facility. Her mentor just invited her to work for him as a college summer intern. Although most of the interns are rising college junior and seniors, her mentor must feel that she is capable of performing the work. She is very excited about this outstanding opportunity. Plus, how many high school seniors will be making $25/hour!</p>
<p>I was worried that she would have too much time on her hands this summer before this internship was offered to her, but problem solved!</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend that all college students try to find a meaningful summer internship. With such a tight job market, every little bit of experience helps.</p>