5 Ways To Make Good Use of Your Summer, Now

In college, you have 8 semesters to perfect your transcript, but only 3 summers to attain in-depth real-world experience. According to CBS Money Watch, these real-world experiences can put you at the forefront of applicant pools for future careers: “An intern’s foot in the door can be a giant step toward a real job post-college.” Plus, according to CampusGrotto.com, internships do more than accessorize your resume. By interning, “you will be able to see first hand what it takes to be successful in your field and most importantly, you will be able to practice the skills that you will need to recreate to be successful.” In other words, real world experience is priceless when navigating your career path.
 
Though summer work notoriously includes internships (both paid and unpaid), your fun in the sun can also revolve around volunteer work, research, and summer courses (both in-country and abroad).  The best  way to gain these invaluable experiences is to start early. So, girl, let’s make sure we do something useful this summer—we want to wear bikinis and business casual this July.
 

1) Start early—that means NOW!
Browsing online you’ve found it: the summer internship to jump-start your career. As you scroll to the application deadline, however, a wave of regret hits you like a brick wall—this application was due when?! You scream.
 
Don’t let this happen again. Though procrastinating on orgo assignments to browse TartanTrak may end in one long, restless night, putting off making professional summer plans can foster years of catch-up to play in the career world.
 
This year, do yourself a favor and make professional plans for summer while there’s still ice on the ground. By applying early, you will ensure that you do not miss out on opportunities just because you were unaware of a deadline. Plus, by planning ahead you open yourself up to finding more sources of funding, if the work you find is unpaid.
 
Now load your favorite Grooveshark playlist and let’s get this search started.

 
2) Don’t use age as an excuse
It’s true—many employers, especially those at competitive companies, seek sophomore and junior internship applicants. But heads up—undergraduates of all years need experience to gain these internships when the time comes. Your college year is no excuse for living an unproductive summer. So go ahead, shoot for the more advanced internships. But know that even if employers turn you away from their applicant pool, you have many other options.
 
To give your future job-applicant self a boost, you must aggressively seek, or even create, experiences. If employers are holding you back for your lack of college coursework, you should consider interning at a small company, taking summer courses, or going abroad.
 
Local Business
Look at your hometown. Large or small, chances are a small business in the area could use your skill set. Interested in a marketing career? Perhaps you could approach your local grocer about conducting marketing research for them, and producing a new set of advertisements by the end of summer. Looking toward a career in civil engineering? Try to partner with a local group reconstructing a neighborhood park. A major advantage of working with local institutions is that you will probably be creating portfolio pieces, not fetching coffee for your editor. By the end of your summer, you’ll have a clearer idea if the work is for you, and you’ll have interesting talking points for future job interviews.
 
Junior International Relations and Politics major Marlen Amaro took advantage of her home city to find a summer internship. Working for Bloomberg in New York City was an an inexpensive way for her to gain real-world experience. Commenting on her minor expenses, Marlen said, “I could just take the train. And my mom could cook for me after when I got home.” Regarding the life lessons her internship granted her, she said, “I feel like getting an internship was so important. If you want to get an internship, they look at your previous experience. It also helped me determine what I like and what I don’t like… Plus, you get to meet a lot of people that are successful.”
 
Earn College Credit
In high school, summer classes were for flunkies; but in college, packing up that book bag is a great way to take skills classes you while freeing up time in your remaining semesters. Want to learn graphic design, but can’t find a way to fit in a course from CFA? Talk to your advisor about enrolling in a college close to your home for a summer course or two.

 
Research
Especially for students aiming for careers in scientific fields, spending a summer in the lab is a great option. Junior chemistry major Anisha Vaswani gained valuable experience working for a Pittsburgh start-up, a pharmaceutical company developing treatments for Alzeimhers. Speaking of her research internship, Anisha said, “It was able to give me more than a just cleaning glassware kind of internship because I was basically running my own project.” In the future, Anisha can speak about her work in detail to future employers.
 
Go Abroad
If you prefer to stray away from domestic routes, many organizations like ProWorld enable you to study, intern, or volunteer abroad. Many people specialize in helping students find the right programs for their time abroad. Contact the Office of International Education(OIE) to set up an appointment to discuss your goals for traveling abroad. And sometimes, even if you’re an underclassman, a proven willingness to learn and a good application essay will get you in to opportunities abroad. This is why we have major and minor advisors, so don’t be afraid to send your personal statement out for some healthy revising.
 
Don’t forget, you still need to start early—many volunteer abroad programs accept applications on a rolling basis. The longer you wait to send in your name and phone number the less likely you may be to be accepted.
 
3) Dig for funding—and dig deep
Believe it or not, there is someone out there who wants to pay you for your hard work this summer. Whether you qualify for a paid internship, or find great work in another state, there are ways to get the experience without putting your bank account in the red. That’s right—you’re in college, you earn get great summer experiences for free (if you don’t count all the tuition costs for the rest of the year). You just have to write a few—gasp!—essays. And make some connections.
 
If you’re looking at an unpaid internship or unpaid research away from your hometown, your department may offer funding to subsidize living costs. For example, H&SS offers Summer Internship Opportunitygrants to students with primary majors in the college. Anisha found a CMU scholarship that allowed her to conduct research in Pittsburgh. “I received a Dozzi scholarship and that paid for housing,” She said. Check with your advisor to see who might fund your unpaid experience this summer.
 
If you’re traveling abroad, start with OIE. Study abroad advisors often can you tell which university scholarships you are eligible for, and where you can search for external funding.
 
4) Remember your career goals
According to CampusGrotto.com, an important trick to utilizing your internship (or other summer work) to your advantage is ensuring it aligns with your career goals. This does seem obvious enough, but, girl, you’d be surprised how easy it is to give up at the end of your search for summer plans and take whatever you can get. If from the beginning, however, you seek many internships and other work opportunities that fit closely to places you can see yourself permanently working in in the future, chances are you will end up with summer work that is worthwhile for you.
 
5) Mark your calendar
Don’t forget that you need to coordinate—while that application for your summer abroad program may not be due until April, your HSS Internship Opportunity Grant is due at the end of March. If you take note of all due dates in once place, you’ll lessen your stress and become more productive.
 
Now—happy summer hunting!
 
Sources:
CBS Money Watch –Students: 6 Best Ways to Get a Summer Internship
Campus Grotto – Benefits of Doing an Internship
ProWorld – http://www.proworldvolunteers.org/
Office of International Education – http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/oie/about/contact.html
H&SS – Internship Opportunity Grants Program