need help with summer and future opportunities

Hi I’m a sophomore right now, and I felt like I had plenty of time until I started worrying about college, lately I’ve started to feel like everything’s coming at me way too fast (or I’m afraid that everything will soon).

I need, and want, to find internships or something productive to do over the summer that I will truly enjoy and will look very good for college. The thing is, I will probably be in Korea all summer. I may work at my aunt’s store or beg my relatives to work or ‘intern’ at their hotel since I’m semi-interested in hotel management/hospitality [Cornell?].<br>
But when I try to find real internships, I just have no idea where to start, and even if I find one, I never feel like I’m qualified. I always feel like I don’t know enough to intern at a professional workplace such as a lawfirm or a science / medical lab. Do most interns start with this mindset?

Colleges that I want to attend are UPenn, Cornell (only if I want to do hotel management), and mostly Stanford.

A little about me : I’m Asian, I was born out of the states but I’m a permanent resident, and I took 2 AP classes this year - AP stats and AP Bio. At the moment I dont’ have an A in both - just in stats. Next year I’ll be taking AP English Lan, AP US History, AP Calc, AP Government, and AP Chemistry (yeah, I’ll probably die). ECs are Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Praise Team at church (joined recently), Model United Nations, Key Club (but not many hours), club leader at middle school, Junior Class President, and Varsity Golf.

I’ve had pretty nifty accomplishments and volunteers while I was in middle school, and I did ski (girls varsity) last year - but only for one year. Do these count for anything?

Ok I feel like I’m pretty much rambling, so please just give me your input on anything and feel free to ask any questions.

<p>Hi Julie,</p>

<p>Perhaps begging your relatives to let you intern at their hotel might be a good idea. It helps build your resume and gives you a feel for that type of environment, so you can at least figure out if you like it or not. If you do, don't be afraid to approach other hotels near your hometown for an internship. I know a girl who did that, has been interning at a hotel, and got into Cornell hotel management. </p>

<p>Since you're a sophomore, you have plenty of time. Even the best schools that require an internship to graduate focus on their students finding an internship the summer before their senior year. Of course, it's best if you can find one right now (rare for them to hire a high school soph), but since you feel like you're not qualified, then do something not so demanding at first. Really, anything that will give you some experience. Doesn't matter what it is as long as it helps you learn, and most importantly, can be used as a stepping stone (i.e. your boss thinks you did a great job and recommends you for the real internship that you're looking for in the future). </p>

<p>Your interests seem to be all over the place, but that's okay, you're still in high school! Most interns at the high school level really just want to try something out and at the same time boost their application and display genuine interest in what they're doing. A lot of students who intend to go pre-med will volunteer at a hospital, perhaps pushing people around in wheelchairs. Med internships probably aren't available, but they gain the same thing by volunteering: experience doing the job and a feel for whether they like the environment or not. </p>

<p>Your EC's are really good. Middle school stuff unforunately won't count, but your ski should, although doing 1 year of something isn't too impressive, even if it's varsity. But by looking at your EC's, i'm confident that you have the skills, leadership, and initiative to land something... anything really that can be a stepping stone if not an actual internship... perhaps volunteer position or a "job" or "internship." </p>

<p>good luck</p>