<p>I'm a student at Olin, a top tier business school. I'm doing well academically. I'm involved in extracurriculars that emphasize leadership. I have work experience that practically no one else has. So WHY am I still absolutely desperate for an internship?</p>
<p>I'm a junior and running out of time and options for career opportunities. Last summer I interned at an 10-person firm in a sketchy area near my home that looked literally like East St. Louis. Even I had to beg for that. I, a student at a top tier school, had to BEG to intern at a place in the slums. It's so pathetic.</p>
<p>I know there's inherent difficulty in finding an internship but that's why I chose WashU. A top 10 undergrad business school and SHOULD give me a distinct advantage. Now I'm afraid I will have spent 4 years of tuition for absolutely nothing. More and more news articles are popping up about college being a complete waste, and I really don't want to be one of those people burning their college degrees in a bonfire. </p>
<p>So my question is, should continue school and finish it, or if I don't get an internship this summer, quit school before wasting anymore money and think about how to turn my life around? I don't have experience in entrepreneurship but entrepreneur actually does at first.
I'm not saying starting my own business is my only other option; it's just one. I really don't know what I'd do if I quit school, but would it be better to take that risk instead of staying in school and paying more money?</p>
<p>I'm interested in banking and corporate finance. I know I have the capability for it, and deep down, I'm sure recruiters know as well. But I've had 6 interviews so far (not all in finance) but none would even consider me. Internships are supposed to be far easier to get than full-time jobs, so there's no way I can get a full-time jobs without an internship. I couldn't compete with candidates who have internship experience.</p>
<p>You can’t possibly allow people on the internet to have any say in this matter. Talk it over with your parents. You need to have a seriously discussion with them if you’re actually considering dropping out. Keep in mind that even though dropping out and saving next year’s tuition might seem like a good deal, you’ve already sunk $150,000 on three years and you won’t get a degree if you drop out.</p>
<p>Totally agree with RaVNzCRoFT. I would only add that you also work closely with people that can really help with your resume and even more importantly your interviewing skills. People completely underestimate how important this is, and how subtle and not so subtle differences can change things 180 degrees. How you carry yourself, whether your answers come across as being more about you than the company you are trying to work for…, there are a bunch of different things that make a huge difference.</p>
<p>For example, there is the age-old question of where do you want to be in 5 years. I cannot tell you how many students right out of school say “I want to be in management” or even “I want to be running the company”. Not only are those absurd answers on their face, but again, it makes it about you, not the company. A much better answer is “Wherever the company thinks my talents are best utilized would be great.”</p>
<p>That’s just a common example, the point is there may be any number of non-academic areas you need help with. Most people do. Some are naturals at it, but not many. So definitely talk to your parents, but expand that to asking for help from a mentor of some sort, even if it is someone you do not currently know. There is nothing wrong with finding someone that has a job, or better yet supervises a job you think you might like right out of school. Ask them if they would be willing to spend half an hour working with you and giving you advice. Most people are enormously flattered by this.</p>
<p>Stay in school. Get help from the Career Center. If they can’t help you, reach out to other resources. I know kids that didn’t getany internship between soph & jr year (most didn’t) and got internships late in their Jr year for that summer. Now they are Seniors and several of them have received job offers for when they graduate. It is a difficult economy for college grads to enter the workforce. </p>
<p>I agree with fallen on getting help with resume writing and interview skils. Again WashU has great resources in these areas. </p>
<p>Lastly, if you have time during the school year volunteer for work with a business. My older brother volunteered for a company started by MIT grad students (they needed Ops Mgt research).</p>
<p>I have done everything. I’ve had countless appointments with career advisors and fixed my resumes and cover letters after each appointment. I thought I would have an advantage by going to a prestigious school, but now that advantage seems non-existent, and that’s what frustrates me.</p>
<p>Let’s be honest about this. WashU is a great school, but it is no Wharton or Stanford. It is not getting recruited heavily like some school by the Charles river up north. But you will get a job and have a wonderful career. Stay positive, complete your education, networking hard. Good luck!</p>
<p>You’re going quit after your 3rd year of school? with only one more year to go, because you can’t get a summer internship?? in the fall of your junior year??? Really? REALLY??? This isn’t a career counseling issue, this is a maturity issue. Big deal, you’re not getting an internship. Your at a fantastic college that 97% of kids in the United States won’t ever have a chance to attend. (And 99.999% of kids in the world). You are lucky, you are succeeding. You are a junior. You can always find someone to compare yourself to who is doing better than you – and make it an excuse to quit – that’s easy, a 5 year old can do that. It takes guts, and maturity, and tenacity, to hand in when your having a hard time. What you think its a cake walk if you quit school – NO NO NO – it will only be harder. And from your complaints, you aren’t prepared…</p>
<p>When I went to law school I had to live in the woods, close to the Charles River, in a hunting cabin that had no bathroom or shower (and I am female!) and guess what, I couldn’t find an internship in the summer either, I smelled like wood smoke. I cleaned houses. And guess what, I am now among the top 1% of earners in my public employment, I serve as an expert in my field to the judiciary, and I love my life and my college degrees. </p>
<p>Many of the big law firms I know personally in NYC and Boston are very happy with a system that permits people to volunteer or take temp positions and they can then hire from that crop into real jobs and dump the rest. Your a junior in college, volunteer at any firm that will take you and work at McDonald’s nights. </p>