<p>I am currently a freshman at Pierce Community College in the San Fernando Valley and am hoping to either transfer to USC Marshall or UCLA with a business/econ major. I was wondering if there are any internships in the Los Angeles area that would increase my chances of getting into these schools.</p>
<p>There are very few internships available for freshmen.</p>
<p>what about sophomores? My goal is to transfer into a school with a good undergrad B-program.</p>
<p>I don't know about LA, but there are NY firms which offer internships through community colleges. It may not be the most glamorous jobs, but it's a foot in the door. The first place to look is in your school's career and internship offices.</p>
<p>Very often internships are not secured until March or April and UC application deadline is in November the prior year, I doubt you would be able to put an internship experience on your application unless you secure one in your freshman year.</p>
<p>In the grand scheme of things, the more important metrics for admissions are your grades and SAT scores, not an internship. Just work hard to get all A's and don't take easy classes to raise your GPA.</p>
<p>Touching on cbreeze's comment. Yah, keep your GPA as high as possible when its comes to both admissions and trying to get an internship. Experience matters but you need one internship which is usually accomplished through getting an internship which requires A) good communication skills B) high grades C) high test scores. People don't expect you to know everything.</p>
<p>If you really want an internship. Reach out to your business professors. The only internships that you may be able to receive are unpaid unless its a summer gig.</p>
<p>if your goal is on transferring, focus on keeping your GPA high especially if you apply to UCLA or USC. The application is looking for experience, not necessary internship but anything counts. Part-time jobs and community service where you can develop yourself and skill set will be good things to write about your experiences on your apps.</p>
<p>If you want to get your foot in the door for finance, look EVERYWHERE. I found a few Internship positions on Craigslist, but also try looking on broker sites such as Schwab and JPM. It's not impossible, I got a job working at an Investment Firm as a freshman in a JC. And yes, keep your grades HIGH in order to be competitive and stand out.</p>