My poor kid…he’s been doing everything right academically and work wise this (his junior) year…he’s a finalist for an ultra-competitive internship in shangai this summer and there’s a 95% chance that it’s being canceled…meanwhile, he’s surrounded by kids who are also seeing their internships swept away (they’re all in foreign affairs/diplomacy) so a big emphasis on experiences abroad and I really worry/wonder about what is going to happen for this class. Even the ones who nailed their internships in Jan are being told “don’t count on it.” I know there are no answers out there…
Yikes! So sorry for your son. But there is no way I would let my child set foot in China that soon.
He should look for a job domestically. Maybe his advisor at school has some ideas.
Unfortunately, we’re in somewhat uncharted territory. I’m starting to wonder about my D’s domestic internship in Seattle.
If he’s a finalist, hopefully this means that alternate/contingencies were still in progress. My D accepted hers back in November, turned down two others and stopped looking.
Any good professional program will have a backup plan. Your kid can go another time, etc. Definitely check to see what they’ll do for the kids in case their programs are cancelled. My S’s school is offering alternative choices for kids whose study abroad trips are being cancelled or cut short. Like you can go to a different country for the same price or go later on for the same price…
In this case, it was a hyper-competitive internship (and the rarest of all birds – a highly paid one) and the program has been outright canceled for this summer and they’ll open the application process again in early 2021.
In any case, there are thousands of similar stories out there…its tough for everybody.