It isn’t too late to look for summer opportunities

Seeing as it is February and we have now been back from winter break for approximately two weeks, I think that it is safe to say that Christmas is officially over. Hard as it is, we all need to turn off Netflix, remove ourselves from our beds, pull our acts together and actually be productive for the first time in two months

Unfortunately for a lot of us, this entails more than just school work productivity — if you’re a sophomore, junior or a highly ambitious freshman, odds are you are desperately seeking summer opportunities in the form of internships and research. Maybe you planned to start looking in November, but life (and school and laziness, and nervous breakdowns, and finals, and procrastination) happened. Maybe you planned to do this over winter break, but Netflix happened. Maybe it never occurred to you that you should be doing this until reading this article. No need to panic — all of those things are okay. We’re imperfect college kids. Life happens. We can still pull it together; while a lot of big companies ended their recruitment process in the fall, there are still opportunities out there. You got this. 

As the self-proclaimed spokesperson for positivity, encouragement and STEM major survival tips, the best I can do for you now is offer you my two cents on your internship/research opportunity search strategy. So here it is, from one imperfect college kid to another.

1. Know your options and know what you’re looking for 

If you’re looking for paid employment, the two main options are company internships or research opportunities, which mainly come in the form of REU programs (research experiences for undergraduates) at other universities and research positions at government organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Research positions tend to last 8-12 weeks while internships tend to last 10-12 weeks. While almost all REU programs at universities offer free summer housing as well as a stipend (which is typically around $4,000), for a vast majority of company internships and non-university research opportunities, you are on your own for housing (although these programs tend to pay you a lot more than the REUs, so it can make up for it). 

2. START NOW

Title is pretty self explanatory. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Put down this paper, go online, and start looking now now. I know it’s intimidating, especially if it is your first time seriously looking for a real not food or retail related employment opportunity, but trust me, you’ll feel better when you do. Don’t be insecure — you got this! If you’re searching for an internship, a lot of mid-sized to small companies are starting to list their internships, and it’s always better to apply sooner than later because many applications are evaluated on a rolling basis. While a lot of REUs and other research programs had deadlines around the end of January, many of them still accept applications until mid-February and early March, so get on it ASAP!

3. Contact your recommenders now

This mainly goes for research opportunities, most company internships don’t require recommendation letters. Most programs require two (sometimes one) letters of recommendation, so if you plan on applying for research be sure to contact potential recommenders soon. If you’re like me, you may be scared to contact your professors, especially if you really haven’t talked to them extensively, but if you participate in their class and show your face at office hours frequently, odds are they’d be happy to write you a letter if you give them advance notice! You can also try asking research mentors and graduate-student TAs — they may be able to write you a good recommendation as well. 

4. Apply everywhere

While “less is more” is often a good strategy, this is one of the times I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree. Getting an internship is extremely competitive; you may apply for twenty, thirty companies and get only a small handful of interviews, if any. And it doesn’t say anything about your capabilities or your future, it just means that there are a lot of applicants for a small number of positions. Applying for these things just takes resilience; sometimes it really is just a numbers game. From my experience with REU programs, different programs have different levels of competitiveness — some programs get 300 applications and accept around 50, others get 1,000 applications and accept 20 — it all depends on the size and popularity of the program. I would still suggest applying for as many as you can; even if you do get into many, it’s better to have options than to not have options. 

5. Fix up your resume and LinkedIn

This goes especially for those professional internships. The content and layout of your resume is extremely important, since employers have to look through hundreds of applicants and don’t have time to waste. Take time to craft a professional resume; I highly suggest getting advice from the life design educators and the resume resources they have online. Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward, so don’t sell yourself short with poor organization and typos; make sure your skillset and relevant experience are clearly conveyed. In addition, employers like to see you on LinkedIn. If you haven’t logged on for over a year, please do. Add a professional picture (statistics show that employers are more likely to show interest in accounts with pictures and trust me, I’ve heard this several places), and add on your current experiences and activities! Think of it as the unabridged version of your resume.

And lastly, since we believe in good-vibes only here at STEM Major Survival Guide and can’t end this column on anything but a positive note:

6. Believe in yourself. You got this.

This whole process is frightening and stressful, but I believe in you. Even if you don’t land your dream internship or research position this summer, it’s not the end of the world; it doesn’t mean all your post-graduation dreams have to die. If everything goes sour, find another way to make your summer worthwhile. It may not be as great of a resume padder, but it doesn’t make the experience less worthwhile in the long run. You can bounce back — you got this.

Don’t work yourself too hard; it’ll be okay. And have a lovely start to the new semester.