<p>I feel like I've posted about my internship process way too many times on this board but I really do need some guidance, so thanks to all who answer.</p>
<p>I had an internship offer from a local advertising firm while I was interviewing at a global advertising firm. I'll just say firm #1 is the local one, firm #2 is global. I really underestimated myself and didn't think I would get the offer from firm #2, so when firm #1 emailed me the day I interviewed at #2(after giving me a week to decide) and asked if I was going to accept their internship or not, I thought, well a bird in hand is worth two in the bush and decided to accept it. I know, my mistake. Now I have a problem. Yesterday I heard back from firm #2 saying they want me as an intern. I'm stunned because I really didn't think I would get it but now I'm stuck in a situation. </p>
<p>Obviously I can't go back on my offer at firm #1. They are really great and that is unprofessional anyways. However, I REALLY want to intern at firm #2. I don't think I have time to do both internships at once in the Fall. </p>
<p>I applied for the Fall term for both internships, because I will be traveling in the middle of summer and can't be here the whole summer to do a Summer internship. I have a friend who got offers from two respected places also, one of which is firm #2, and what she did was ask one if she could intern in Fall instead of Summer, essentially lining up one internship for Summer and one for Fall. </p>
<p>It would be ideal if I could do the same, except with Fall and Spring, however I don't know how risky that is, Spring being so far in the future. I also don't know how firm #2 would feel if I asked them if I could accept their internship for a later semester. I feel like it would be good though, because by next Spring after an internship at firm #1 I would have even more experience. </p>
<p>Please help me out, I really don't want to give up the opportunity at firm #2.</p>
<p>You laid out your options… if you definitely want to be at #2, then you can:
ask #2 if they are willing to hold your acceptance until the spring
or
ask #1 if you can delay that internship until the spring
or
go back on your acceptance at #1, and tell them you can no longer accept the position</p>
<p>I recommend you ask #2 if they will hold your acceptance first. If they say no, then you move to the second option. If #2 doesn’t like the second option either, then you have to decide whether you want #1 or #2 for the fall, and do what you need to do to make your choice reality.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. Up until now you’ve done everything pretty well, but you did jump the gun. I’ll echo what soccerguy said, but I would personally take option 3 off the table. Reneging on an offer you accepted is pretty frowned upon in the business world.</p>
<p>I fully agree that option 3 is not good at all. I just feel that, ultimately, it is up to you, and you will have to live with whatever consequences might come from such a decision. It is possible it would be short term gain for long term costs.</p>
<p>Reneging on the offer was definitely not an option for me from the get-go. The PR community here where I go to school is really close knit, and I love it. Everyone hiring me was an alumni. Anyways thank you both for all your help. I talked to my professor about it just to kind of get a confirmation, and what she had to say about the companies and people working there affirmed my choice. I decided to ask #2 if I could do theirs Spring of next year but they said it was quite early to secure spots for Spring, and that she would be happy to sit down with me again during the Fall.</p>
<p>sounds like a good choice… make sure you keep an eye out on their deadlines and keep the email addresses of any people you have been in contact with. When you apply again, it is definitely worth an email to your contacts to say you are applying again and hope to have the opportunity to work with them.</p>