<p>So this is my last summer before I graduate and I need an internship. I'm a petroleum engineering major at Penn State with a 3.48 gpa that can't even get interviews. I haven't tried to get internships until this summer because I transferred and used summers to take classes and catch up. Is there some secret that I'm missing out on?</p>
<p>You need to be proactive in using your school’s Career Services / Center. You shall use them as early and often as possible. If you have not started looking until now for this summer (which is over), then it is too late. On the other hand, if you are talking about summer in 2015, you can starting going to Penn State’s Career Center and see what is available regarding internships and other services that might be available to you.</p>
<p>Agree about using the Career Center and ask them for help with resources. Make sure your resume and interviewing skills are up to snuff, see if there are interviews happening on campus, and ask them for help researching internships online. The good news is that you are starting at the right time to find internships for next summer (if it were March you would be in a worse situation!).</p>
<p>Have your references lined up (ask them now if they are willing to be references, and I would just tell them generically that you will be applying at quite a few places, so it is okay to respond to any requests for references they get for you between now and next summer).</p>
<p>Start a spreadsheet of all your applications and candidate companies. Certainly follow up on any leads from your career center. But also ask any seniors you know this year where they interned last summer for suggestions (they might even offer to help you by providing contacts or even putting in your resume). Your professors might know about opportunities, too, so ask them.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, start one now. Link up with professors, anyone you meet when you do get an internship, older students you know who have graduated or are graduating. It may or may not help you find an internship, but it could be a big help if you start now and keep adding contacts when you are looking for a job for after graduation. </p>