<p>When do most people start doing internships? Would they most likely be during the summer or fall / spring semesters?
Also, where can you find / apply for them?</p>
<p>I had an internship every summer of college. Many companies won’t take you until after your sophomore year though and some not until after your junior year. A great thing to do after your freshman/sophomore years is to apple for an REU [nsf.gov</a> - Funding - Research Experiences for Undergraduates - US National Science Foundation (NSF)](<a href=“Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) | NSF - National Science Foundation”>Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) | NSF - National Science Foundation)</p>
<p>Check out your college guidance counseling center/job center for help on applying to internships. You should try and do one every chance you can. You can also consider interning abroad. It will probably take more work (and maybe $$) on your part but can look very impressive on a resume. Don’t be surprised if you need to apply to 30+ companies to get an internship as they are very competitive. One internship I did had 500 applicants for every 1 spot.</p>
<p>To do an internship during the spring/fall is often called a co-op and sometimes you get credit instead of $$. Make sure you work with your college to get it approved.</p>
<p>If you are working a co-op you should be getting paid. Credit depends on how your school handles co-ops.</p>
<p>I would suggest to give your resume to recruiters if they will take it(even if you don’t meet all the requirements). I have an internship now that according to the requirements I am not eligible for due to class standing because I went to a job fair and turned my resume in to the recruiter anyway</p>
<p>I have noticed, while browsing through the classes for my major, that there is a class called “Engineering Internship” and “Engineering Co-op.” Are these “classes” signed up like any other class, or is there a separate application process? This also leads me to wonder how these internships / co-ops differ from more traditional ones where you apply with your resume and such.</p>
<p>No, no, you’re thinking about it the wrong way.
You get an internship the ordinary way, and THEN sign up for that co-op class in order to receive academic credit for your work experience.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between an internship and a summer job (non fast food ones)? Does it just have more to do with engineering?</p>
<p>@TheDude2491</p>
<p>An internship is a job where you work in your field of study. The idea is to expose yourself to the real world and what you can expect after you graduate. I’m only a 3rd year Undergrad, and I am hoping for an internship next summer, but I assume that you’ll shadow an engineer and/or do a lot of the simple busy work, putting what you learned to use.</p>
<p>research experience is more beneficial for grad school than internships for engineers atleast idk about other majors. not sure if your applying for grad school</p>
<p>
True regarding the get internship, /then/ sign up.
But the other half isn’t always true - if you do a co-op at my school, you have to sign up for that co-op “class.” However, you get 0 credits. The whole purpose is for records keeping really. You don’t get any credit, but signing up for that ‘class’ means that you maintain full-time student status (even though you’re not taking any classes).</p>
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Well it really depends on who you ask. I say my internship right now is a type of job, because I’m getting paid (as opposed to an unpaid internship). But it’s really all semantics and doesn’t really matter.</p>
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That’s what most of my friends seem to be doing. I guess I just got ridiculously lucky this summer and my company has been giving me real, legit projects to do.</p>
<p>@pyroknife
I am not planning on grad school just yet. But I guess I should still try to get an internship sometime during my undergrad years to make applying for jobs after graduation “easier,” for lack of a better word, and to also just get some basic experience. Right now, I am a sophomore and was wondering when a good time would be to start looking for one, although I haven’t started any of my engineering classes yet, at least not until this Fall semester.</p>
<p>@JamesMadison
What is the point of signing up for that internship / co-op “class” while you work on the internship you applied for?</p>
<p>@Johnson181
At your school, you can’t do a co-op and take classes at the same time?</p>
<p>Well there’s nothing saying you can’t take a class. But you certainly don’t have to. Typical undergrads at my school are not doing co-ops for the money (although it’s a huge plus; everyone I know has made quite a bit) - and don’t have to do school on top of full-time work. </p>
<p>Also of note, there are very few classes offered past 5pm, which would be necessary for most full time jobs.</p>
<p>The point of a co-op (at my school at least) is to gain experience in the field for a longer period of time than you would with just a summer internship (they run 8 months: a semester + the summer).</p>
<p>Apparently signing up for the “class” also allows it to be placed on your transcript: [Engineering</a> Cooperative (co-op) Program | Career Center | Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“Career Center - Students”>Career Center - Students)</p>
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<p>I’m not sure, it depends on your school.
At my school, signing up for a formalized co-op course helps you in two ways:
a) You can get a certain amount of credit towards graduation
b) You can maintain full-time student status while doing your internship, which is definitely helpful if your co-op is 6 months long</p>