<p>Any ideas how long it takes to hear from companies you send resumes to for a summer internship? How competitive our summer internships? Thanks.</p>
<p>Anywhere from immediately to forever. (You may never hear from some companies.)</p>
<p>I realize this isn’t a particularly helpful answer, but it reflects my kids’ experience. Sometimes, companies would contact them promptly. Other times, they would hear weeks or months later. And still other times, they would get a rejection in May or never hear from the company at all.</p>
<p>It’s not standardized. Unless you know other people who have applied to a specific company in the past who can share their experiences, it’s hard to predict what will happen.</p>
<p>Summer internships are very competitive. Graduating seniors – even grad students in some fields – are applying for internships that used to be reserved for college juniors. </p>
<p>My daughter’s experience is in line with what Marian said. A lot depends on the type of internship you are applying for. Large companies with established programs (like banks, tech companies) seem to make decisions a lot earlier. Smaller firms, nonprofits, social service type internships – many don’t start interviewing until April and don’t make decisions until May.</p>
<p>Even the companies and organizations that interview early often don’t send rejections until very late. The idea seems to be that some of the people they accepted might change their minds later (for example, if it’s an unpaid internship and the student later finds an opportunity for a paid job). So they don’t want to definitely reject anyone until they’re absolutely, positively sure that they won’t be wanting them.</p>
<p>Getting a summer internship can be extremely difficult. Often, students have to settle for less-desirable internships or none at all. It helps to have a Plan B – an idea for an alternate way to spend the summer. One possibility might be summer classes at a college near home.</p>
<p>It helps if your college has an official relationship with the company, e.g, the company recruits on campus. If your application is submitted through an official recruiting system, there are often rules governing the exchange. Resum</p>