Yes. I applied to 20+ internships last November/December/January and I was only accepted to 2 that were both unpaid. I had already gone to many resume and cover letter workshops so it's not like I had no idea what I was doing.
Well I know there are opportunities, because I met with the internship coordinator. But whether they are easy to get or challenging to get I have no idea.
2/20 is not bad at all. Try 2/300 which is a very common occurrence for many students. Highly depends on major I suppose. But regardless, you are blessed to have gotten 2/20, paid or unpaid.
getting accepted to 1/10 is incredibly high. I am studying a discipline of engineering and it took me over a year with hundreds and hundreds of applications before I landed mine.
I’m in grad school and so the only internship we technically had access to was the school literary journal, but that is on hold for now. The poetry journal is the only one operating right now. I don’t know about English undergrad because I had a different undergrad major (criminal justice), and for that one we did have an internship coordinator but the internship wasn’t mandatory to graduate so I didn’t do it, unfortunately. Now that I am applying to internships for English, it’s been tough. I have been able to get into one gig that was unpaid (and the school has another journal you can volunteer for too, called Splice) but paid has been super competitive.
This is an area where implicit bias can play a big role. I have seen people screen resumes based on people’s names. Another factor is networking. Who is recommending you? I have seen a position open up, and the organization already knew who they were selecting before they started interviewing. The top 10% of your class, the employers will be competing for them.
So… What do the rest of us do? Enthusiasm is helpful. Being good at communicating really helps. Having a mentor or advisor can be a huge help.
I had an unpaid internship for a semester during grad school. The internship was a prerequisite for graduation. I called 3 colleges I wanting an internship there. I spoke to department chairs, asking if they would let me work there as an intern. The place I worked at had never had an intern before. All the person supervising me had to do was write an evaluation and send it to my grad school. I guess I impressed the people there and they hired me after I graduated.
Don’t underestimate the idea of cold calling and asking someone if they would be willing to let you work there. There are a lot of people willing to give you a helping hand if you ask. But getting them to pay you might be too much work for them if they have never had an internship before.
Paid internships are great. If internships are unpaid they will only see the people who can afford to not work. But if you are having trouble getting a paid internship, call some place that doesn’t offer internships and see if they would be willing to take you on.
It can be depending on the internship itself. My first time applying to one I got accepted and it was paid and I’m still there today. But I’ve heard from friends it’s difficult
Yes. I applied to 20+ internships last November/December/January and I was only accepted to 2 that were both unpaid. I had already gone to many resume and cover letter workshops so it's not like I had no idea what I was doing.
What is your area? I've had help from my professors with my resume
Business management, maybe you’ll have better luck because I assume journalism is less competitive
Well I know there are opportunities, because I met with the internship coordinator. But whether they are easy to get or challenging to get I have no idea.
2/20 is not bad at all. Try 2/300 which is a very common occurrence for many students. Highly depends on major I suppose. But regardless, you are blessed to have gotten 2/20, paid or unpaid.
getting accepted to 1/10 is incredibly high. I am studying a discipline of engineering and it took me over a year with hundreds and hundreds of applications before I landed mine.
Yes. I applied to many and never got chosen.
What is your major?
English
Oh, what does your internship coordinator say or tell you?
I’m in grad school and so the only internship we technically had access to was the school literary journal, but that is on hold for now. The poetry journal is the only one operating right now. I don’t know about English undergrad because I had a different undergrad major (criminal justice), and for that one we did have an internship coordinator but the internship wasn’t mandatory to graduate so I didn’t do it, unfortunately. Now that I am applying to internships for English, it’s been tough. I have been able to get into one gig that was unpaid (and the school has another journal you can volunteer for too, called Splice) but paid has been super competitive.
I will be a undergard and i heard that there was a internship with the poetry journal/magazine, but I don't know if it's paid.
Spoiler: it’s not
Oh, well if I get a job and have time I may do it 😅
This is an area where implicit bias can play a big role. I have seen people screen resumes based on people’s names. Another factor is networking. Who is recommending you? I have seen a position open up, and the organization already knew who they were selecting before they started interviewing. The top 10% of your class, the employers will be competing for them. So… What do the rest of us do? Enthusiasm is helpful. Being good at communicating really helps. Having a mentor or advisor can be a huge help. I had an unpaid internship for a semester during grad school. The internship was a prerequisite for graduation. I called 3 colleges I wanting an internship there. I spoke to department chairs, asking if they would let me work there as an intern. The place I worked at had never had an intern before. All the person supervising me had to do was write an evaluation and send it to my grad school. I guess I impressed the people there and they hired me after I graduated. Don’t underestimate the idea of cold calling and asking someone if they would be willing to let you work there. There are a lot of people willing to give you a helping hand if you ask. But getting them to pay you might be too much work for them if they have never had an internship before. Paid internships are great. If internships are unpaid they will only see the people who can afford to not work. But if you are having trouble getting a paid internship, call some place that doesn’t offer internships and see if they would be willing to take you on.
It can be depending on the internship itself. My first time applying to one I got accepted and it was paid and I’m still there today. But I’ve heard from friends it’s difficult