<p>I have first-year twins. What is the proper timing for applying for internships for next summer? I just learned of an upperclass student who's already got her internship lined up. With the end of the semester beginning to loom, the academic load is intensifying. Do students need to do their homework about this now, while the college career development offices are open, despite everything else going on? Or can they wait till winter break when they've got some time at home but won't necessarily have the connections/resources? Or till late January when they return to school to check out the career development offices?</p>
<p>I thought it was too early when my junior daughter applied in early October. But she landed the last internship of 4 the non profit had for next summer.</p>
<p>My nephew’s girlfriend just got a hospital administration internship confirmed for next summer. It’s not too early. She had a telephone interview in Oct.</p>
<p>Some internships won’t be decided until the Spring but even many of those will be winnowing down to their selection from a process that started, like, now if not a month ago.</p>
<p>Most summer internship program deadlines tend to be in the late February-early April timeframe, with most falling somewhere in March. </p>
<p>Very competitive programs however, language programs like the Critical Language Scholarship, and government programs can be much earlier (the deadline for summer internships in government agencies, for example, is in early November). </p>
<p>It’s not especially neccessary to start working on it now, it’s fine to wait until they go back to school (though Carolyn, your Ds go to Smith, right? They should think about coming back before the end of J-term if they want to use the CDO when it’s not so crowded). But over winter break they should think about where they want to intern so that they have a good idea of what to look for when they return.</p>
<p>My son already has one offer and is waiting to hear from another. His college has a job fair in October and that’s when the best interships seem to be offered. I think there’s another fair in Februrary as well. It’s not too early - at least in computer science. He’s also learned that networking is really important. He got his job last summer (after his frist internship cancelled on him) from CMU contacts at the company.</p>
<p>I am getting ready to send my internship stuff out very soon. It will go out before Christmas. I’ve been told by a couple who have done it that Thanksgiving or sooner is the time to send it while others have told me to wait until January. I’m shooting for in the middle somewhere… I’m looking at an NFL internship so right now may not be the BEST time since they are right in the middle or their busy season…</p>
<p>D1 just came home from abroad. Today she is making a spreadsheet of places she wants to apply to - job description, requirements, location. We worked on her resume and cover letter last week. It feels like college application all over again. Most of them have resume submission by early Jan, and on campus interview from Jan to Feb. It won’t be easy for freshmen/sophmores this year. Many firms are cutting back to only for juniors.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. It appears it’s useful to get started thinking about it now at least. Neither of them have had “office-type” jobs, so this is a whole new world for them. As first-years, I don’t think they’ll be in the market for the most competitive internships which would have earlier deadlines; that’s farther down the road for them. S&P, my first-year daughter at Smith will be attending an archivist course during J-term, so I think she’s considering going to the CDO then. I’m not sure how the process will work for our first-year son at Hobart and William Smith Colleges; maybe he can sneak in some exploration at the CDO before first-semester exams and again in January when he returns to school.</p>
<p>Hmmm, maybe I’ll send this thread to both of them in a couple of days, after they’ve settled into school after all the turkey and pie, and there are some more responses. Keep them coming, folks! The more information, the better.</p>
<p>Annoyingly, there is no one schedule for internships, the way there is for college applications. Some companies/organizations do it early, others very late. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, this sometimes means that the offers do not come in at the same time. A student may have to decide to accept or reject an offer from Internship A without having heard from the more desirable Internship B.</p>
<p>I suppose this can be considered preparation for real life, but I wish they had a uniform reply date.</p>
<p>Son’s school has a fall career day and companies look for interns for the following summer along with full-time hires. Defense companies would have enough time to run background checks too.</p>
<p>REUs seem to start posting late winter to mid-spring.</p>
<p>I’ve seen companies looking for interns locally all the want through late May.</p>
<p>One smart idea for first years I think is to consider interning somewhere around your home for your first summer. Even if it’s just a part time thing or for part of the summer (that might be better even, work part time, intern part time) it can be a much better idea than trying to deal with all of the headaches and difficulties that come with spending a summer away from home working (apartments, travel costs, etc. It’s overwhelming). </p>
<p>Parents can help a lot by thinking about their own contacts, particularly if their kids have never had jobs in offices before. Do you have friends that work in businesses or industries your kids might be interested in? Would those friends be interested in having free slave labor for a few days a week in the summer? Or if your friends aren’t interested/able/willing to commit to a full internship, maybe they would let your S or D shadow them for a week? Think about everyone you know, even if their offices don’t have official or developed intern programs. Lawyers, dentists, doctors in private practice, business owners, really all of your friends should be considered fair game 
</p>
<p>Having a low-key internship right off the bat I think is better than trying for something competitive the first time round. You get experience, you get to explore a new field, and you still get a little summer time to have fun. Plus it’s a lot cheaper to sleep at home and then Mom and Dad get to see you some in the summer as well.</p>
<p>On the free labor part, if you are an employer you need to be very careful with that. It could only be free if the internship has any educational value and it’s not displacing any regular worker. My firm will not let me hire any free interns for fear of violating labor law.</p>
<p>I talked my firm into letting me hire 2 interns this past summer, not because I needed to, but thought it would help out a few kids when the economy was so bad. It turned out to be the best money spent. For around 20/hr, those kids were doing work my regular staff was doing. They volunteered to come in at 6 in the morning and went home after 6pm. One of them is still working part time for me remotely from school. If any parent on this board is in the position of sponsoring a few interns should really consider it. I am going to do it again this summer.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your information and ideas. I wish your sons and daughters good luck in their internship searches. Oldfort, I’m glad the internship arrangement at your firm has worked so successfully. Yes, Marian, life is not tidy, and that includes the timing of application deadlines for internships, but the idea that S&P had for parents to network with their friends is great. Then there is essentially no deadline and no competition, with the possibility for flexibility. The solution is so much simpler! S&P, thank you! I love it!</p>