At Harvard, we are pressured to begin making plans for the summer as soon as November comes around. How does this institution expect students like me to have a solid plan in place for the next summer, which would be 7 months away at that point, when I can’t even decide whether I want Annenberg food or not for dinner?! I began hearing of summer plans that were set in stone since Thanksgiving. Even though I consider myself a pretty prepared student, hearing all of this talk about summer plans so early in the year made me doubt my own progress and question whether or not I belonged at this school.
Needless to say, I was terrified. I felt like I was lagging behind everyone else in my class because I wasn’t being snatched up by this consulting firm or that political office or a research lab from the very beginning. At least I wasn’t alone, I would tell myself, because my closest friends here were freaking out just as much as I was. Even though that gave me a little bit of comfort, it wasn’t the comfort I needed.
Fast forward to winter break: I spent a considerable amount of my time looking through the lists of internships and information packets I had picked up at the various research and job fairs that Harvard has in the beginning of December. Most of these programs’ deadlines were in January or February of the new year. Cue more pressure put on us all when we’re supposed to be “resting” during our break.
I rang in the new year with most of my applications started, planning to have a productive, efficient, and successful spring semester. By the time the February deadlines came around, I had submitted applications to about 6 summer internship programs and I was feeling good about myself. Everyone had told me to apply to several programs because most were highly competitive and I wouldn’t get into the one I wanted. “Okay, got it!” I would say. So, I assumed I was good because I had applied to 6, which was more than other people that I knew had applied to.
It is now March and I’ve heard back from five of the six programs I had applied to: three flat out rejections, one waitlist, and one I’m still a candidate for. I’ve realized now that even if I got into the two “maybe” programs, I would not be able to go because I have no idea how to find a place to live for three months for one program and I honestly feel underqualified for the other. While everyone around me is getting acceptance letters and booking flights, I’m still in the limbo phase of not having my future plans set. I could be freaking out right now, having fits of anxiety and bitterness towards others, but I’m okay. How, you may ask? How can you feel calm, you over-planning, over-organized college student, in the midst of a storm of uncertainty?!
I’ve been learning how to better deal with my anxiety and this is the perfect situation to put what I’ve learned into action. Here’s how I’m dealing with summer internship rejection and feeling okay with it:
Don’t take it to heart.
As previously mentioned, summer internship programs are highly competitive, especially at top universities like Harvard. I told myself at the beginning of freshman year that I was now entering a hub for some of the most talented and desired young adults in the world and that I would no longer be considered “the smartest” or “the best” in any situation, and I had to be okay with that. When you’re one applicant out of 100 for a spot in a program that takes 20 interns, you only have ⅕ of a chance of getting in, assuming that all of the applicants are as qualified and impressive as you are, and chances are, it’s true. Most of the time, luck has to be on your side in the real world (college) to get what you want in such competitive atmospheres. So, don’t take a rejection to heart. It’s not you, it’s the program’s fault for not having enough space to accommodate everyone. It’s their loss!
Stay open minded.
A piece of advice that my Peer Advising Fellow told me when I started thinking about summer programs was to keep an open mind. Her freshman year, she applied to a few programs and didn’t get into any of the ones that she desperately wanted, but applied to one on a whim, even though it was of little interest to her, and got in. She spent the summer doing a program that had no correlation to her future dreams, but she still had an amazing summer and was glad that she applied. This goes to show that you have to keep all of your options open and that you shouldn’t immediately ride off a program because it doesn’t appeal to you. Who knows, it could be offering you the greatest summer of your college career!
Don’t forget about home.
I went into my summer internship search with a mindset that I wanted to go far away for the summer, or stay in Boston. I just did NOT want to go back home. That was not my best idea, because now that I have no idea what to do, I’ve begun looking back home for opportunities and I’m discovering some that I never knew about when I was living there. I never thought to look to my city’s university to find professors who may be doing research and ask them if they need assistance. I never thought to look to my city’s downtown offices for government internships in an international perspective (since I live on the border with Mexico). I even have not one, but two hospitals in my city that I could work/volunteer for. My hometown is teeming with opportunity, I just never thought to look! And the best part of it all? If one of these opportunities works out, I would be living at home FOR FREE. So even if you’re like me and totally disregarded home as an option for the summer, think again. You may be surprised at what you find.
You still have time!
It’s barely March. The summer is a whole two and a half months away. What freaked-out students need to realize is that, THERE’S STILL TIME! Two months is plenty of time to get in contact with someone and figure out some summer plans. Most summer application deadlines have passed, but fear not, because email is a life-changing mode of communication. I emailed about 20 people in my hometown asking if they would be willing to take on a Harvard student for the summer and I’m not the only one who has done this. A few of my friends skipped applications altogether and just emailed alumni in their area or professionals that they knew and have meetings set for possible internships. The power of the @college.harvard.edu email address is very real. Whether it’s at home or at this school, don’t be afraid to send some cold emails to people that could potentially give you a meaningful thing to do with your summer! Hopefully one of the people I emailed gets back to me soon, but if not, I’ll be okay. There’s always opportunity out there and I won’t quit looking until I find something.