I am a high school sophomore, and I live in a college town, and want to contact one of their colleges in hopes of getting an internship… However I’m not quite sure what to say. Can anyone help? I’m worried about being presumptuous by asking for an internship right off the bat, so should I just ask if I can volunteer or ‘help out’? What should I include? GPA (very low - 3.4 UW), EC’s, classes?
All responses appreciated!
Hey Iris,
Colleges love interns and have many different departmental possibilities. I would walk into the college admissions office and start asking around. Don’t email with a vague request for an internship. Find the one that makes the most sense for you by going in an chatting with staff. Then you can find out who to email, what kind of application to submit, etc.
You’re going to want to tailor your email to the specific internship, and discuss whatever bits of your experience is relevant to the job.
Pro-tip:
Dress the part to make an impression when you’re inquiring in person. You never know who you’ll talk to and you want to impress.
Hi @EssayEnthusiast ,
I already sent out an email listing some classes/extracurriculars I’ve taken that relate to my area of interest, and they haven’t responded yet… Since we are on Winter Break, and most students will be gone, do you think it would be unreasonable if I were to go to the building of a particular department and see who was around? Essentially, walk up to administration there and ask if they got my email, would they tell me where to find someone working on a project, what some professors are working on etc.? Or would most professors be out BECAUSE it’s Break?
Faculty aren’t going to be around this week or next week. Do you have any particular contacts you can make use of (neighbors or family friends who are professors or staff), well connected high school teachers?
No, @CheddarcheeseMN , the reason I’m so determined to get an internship is because I know most high schoolers get them through people who know people, and getting one on my own shows that I’m self-sufficient, contrary to what my parents may think. My parents are immigrants with no personal/professional connections to the college, nor are any of my neighbors profs/staff. I want to get my internship through my own work, which seems to different from how most people do it.
Hey Iris,
Self-sufficiency is a great motivator, and it’s one really fantastic asset to have, especially going into college.
You’ll likely have to wait until after break…colleges really shut down until they reopen.
If you want to develop a more solid game plan for winning your ideal internship, pm me and we can figure out the best strategy for your success.