1: If you are not getting credit for your internship, you should get on that.

“Students do not always realize they have the option of receiving academic credit for internship work,” said Megan Corkery, career counselor and coordinator of internships. “We encourage students to earn credit for an internship.”

You can also get credit for paid internships.

Maybe you have managed to get an internship, but you are still a little scattered and have not applied to get credit. Don’t worry, you still have time. The deadlines to receive academic credit for summer internships are:

Full summer term (10 weeks) – June 5

First summer term (first 5 weeks) – May 31

Second summer term (second 5 weeks) – July 8

2: If you do not have an internship, but think you may want one, you still have some options.

Though it is best to start looking early for internships, if you do not have one now, there are some steps you can take to make your this summer a career smart summer.

“Students can also consider doing some job shadowing with family, friends or relatives who are in the field they’re interested in,” said Corkery. “Volunteering can also be an excellent resume builder. Conducting informational interviews of individuals in your chosen field is also a good strategy for networking or finding future jobs/internships. Informational interviewing is a form of networking, where you have a 20–30 minute conversation (in person) about what they do in their job, how they got there, what educational path they took, what trends they are seeing in their field, etc.”

Junior and Bonner Scholar Emily Morazan started looking for an advocacy-related internship late in the game, around mid-late April, but had surprising success.

“Don’t just look for internship programs,” said Morazan. “Find an organization that you think is cool and then contact them and ask for a volunteer or internship coordinator.”

A good website to visit is www.idealist.org. Ideally, you can search jobs, volunteer opportunities and organizations by field and area. Just because there are no internships available nearby or in your field of interest does not mean there aren’t any opportunities. Search for organizations and reach out to any that interest you.

3: Interning is on the rise, and for good reason, even among younger students 

(cough—sophomores—cough) 

“We have seen a growth in numbers each year, especially in the last two years. ” said Corkery. “In comparison to other liberal arts colleges in the U.S., Guilford is on the high-end of students who participate in internships for academic credit. I do not have figures on which year does more interns, but if I had to guess, it would definitely be juniors and seniors. Sophomores are more steadily doing internships, which is wonderful, and we highly encourage that.”

There is no reason to wait to intern. If you can find something after your first-year, go for it. If you find a volunteer opportunity, take it. It will make it easier to find something for your next summer and will help point you in the direction of what field you will be most happy working or interning in.

4: Stay in touch after your internship is completed. 

Internships provide a myriad of benefits: work experience, references and career insight and networking, just to name a few. For some students, their internships led to other opportunities. Sophomore Sara Minsky interned at Participatory Action Research Center for Educational Organizing in New York.

“I have kept a connection and have been doing some work with the organization from school and now am officially a staff member there,” said Minsky. “I suggest that if people really like the organization they intern with to keep in touch about staying connected and working for them in the future.”