<p>None of the schools on my list are 'big name' schools at all, except for U of M Twin Cities, which I probably won't get into. I want to get into politics or communications, both of which internships are needed before getting out of school. Should I get rejected from even an interview for an internship because I go to a small name school?</p>
<p>While a good school name certainly doesn’t hurt, I would argue that a person’s school reflects his or her character.</p>
<p>It’s not that going to Harvard will guarantee you a good internship, it’s more that the person who goes to Harvard has the talent, drive, and ability to get a good internship. On the other hand, a typical student at…say Cal State Fresno…probably isn’t the type to be over the top brilliant or ambitious.</p>
<p>exactly - people admitted to good unis generally are higher calibre, right?</p>
<p>Prestigious schools give you a better chance on a NATIONAL scale, like out of state internships that usually require you to room and board with them.</p>
<p>But local internships which I recommend because you’re still in school are easier because you’re competing with a smaller pool of people…usually from the same “low level” school.</p>
<p>I come from one of the worst engineering universities in the nation, but I’m currently taking up an internship with the local power company that pays more than many of the internships these Ivy League students are undertaking.</p>
<p>Have a GPA above 3.0, lots of work experience (even if it is flipping burgers and working at Wal-Mart), and emphasize some kind of leadership like in a school club or something.</p>
<p>What you do is far more important than the name on your diploma. And as peterhax said, play your local angle.</p>
<p>I graduated from the University of Idaho - a fine state flagship and a school I loved, but certainly not a name that’s going to knock anyone’s socks off. But I impressed one of my professors in a class and he hired me as a paid intern the summer after I graduated (had to take one summer class to finish the degree anyway). Spent the summer researching and writing a university publication. That experience led to a six-month paid AmeriCorps internship with the U.S. Forest Service, which turned into grad school and career-track federal employment.</p>
<p>Never let anyone tell you that the name of your school will prevent you from doing something.</p>