I wanted to know when is the Perfect time to go for an Internship in your major. Is it better to do it couple of Semesters before one Graduates or wait till the last Semester to. The Internship is for College credit too, so what is your advice?
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
as much as you can, while it really is very very very recommended to do it the summer before your last year, that does not mean that the other summers are a no no. more the merrier. even if the early ones are not for credit hours.
I would not be able to do it in the Summers but only in the Spring or Fall Semester.So more of them is better..I was just thinking one would be enough..
I better start applying to all that I can find.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
if everyone is doing one, how do you stand out? grades, where you did the internship and what you did? I would suggest a couple of internships, close enough in nature to support your future direction, different enough that you can have a wider experience base, can see what you like and what you dislike and when prospective employers see your resume, you seem more well rounded than others.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
I have heard from people who applied this past summer and didn't get any.One thing that really amazed me was the fact that one really well rounded student who was also our school's AMA's president, an honor student etc, didn't get any.She was saying its pretty competitive ...but then again she was aiming for the big Name companies.
In your Opinion, is it better to aim for the bigger names or any such companies that are offering internships...meaning something is better then nothing.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
balance big name with what you actually do. both are important, big name brings its advantages, but what u did and what you learnt is important as well.
some major companies have very well developed inernship programs, in others the intern is nothing more than a peon asked to make copies and all the crap no one really wants to do in the name of hey this way you can see what all takes place.
as far as the ama president great student issues, maybe she just was not the right fit for the roles. in the end its how the hiring mgr feels. For a very prestigious internship, I did not have the GPA to apply for it even though it was really somethign i wanted. At a conference i asked my advisor who was on the governer's advisory board for internatonal trade if I could help them. we had some conversation about why, and experience plus interest. He asked me why did you not appl for that internship, that was right in your area, I said because I dont have the cumulative GPA that was required. He said why did ou not tell me, wait here. ..brings a guy, Elliot meet my student, he is interested in that internship you have with our uni but does not have the gPA, however..then he proceeded to describe why he thought I would be a good fit, elliot, talks to me briefly, gestures another guy to come over, says, Paul this is one of Raffael's students, interested in that internship in your group, have you fileld it yet, Paul says no, so they talk to me briefly, ask me to come down to the office next week. I get a call on Monday sayiong they need to push it out a few days, so I figured yeah yeah..its over, then my advisor called, saying, listen I know they delayed the visit to theri office, but I just talked to Elliot, you are in, I wanted you to know do u are not nervous, btw paul does not know that you know, so dont act too cocky.
the guys and girls I was competign against were the 3.8-4.0 gpa types, while I was hovering just above 3. and i got it.
so..relationships matter, chemistry matters..grades and all that jazz do matter, but are not the only thing.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
Thanks for sharing the story, it really helps see the picture in a different light. Relationships do seem to matter a lot. It seems that you said the right thing at the right time(I was thinking when you were asking the guy was there too, sure was perfect time)
I'm going to talk to couple of my professors again. Our new Dept Chairperson is really a nice person, but the Professor who handles the internships etc is such a sarhoo you have no idea..eventhough I 've never taken any class from him, but again sarhoo with everyone. I'll set up a meeting with him soon.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
Having internship at any kind of company will give you a leg up over people who have no internships.
Even a sucky internship will get your foot in the door. Once in, work hard, build relationships and prove that you are capable of handling more responsibilities. You will then become first choice when other internship opportunities open up.
I had a sucky internship (slave labor) at a very small desi company, at the end of the summer, they offered me a full time position with very low salary. I accepted and went to school part-time afterwards. (I needed the money) However, I was able to graduate on time by taking lots of courses in the summer, weekends and evenings.
By the time, my friends were graduating from college, I already had one year of full-time experience and I used the experience to change jobs and get a much much higher salary than the new-grads.
Having internship at any kind of company will give you a leg up over people who have no internships. Even a sucky internship will get your foot in the door. Once in, work hard, build relationships and prove that you are capable of handling more responsibilities. You will then become first choice when other internship opportunities open up.
I had a sucky internship (slave labor) at a very small desi company, at the end of the summer, they offered me a full time position with very low salary. I accepted and went to school part-time afterwards. (I needed the money) However, I was able to graduate on time by taking lots of courses in the summer, weekends and evenings.
By the time, my friends were graduating from college, I already had one year of full-time experience and I used the experience to change jobs and get a much much higher salary than the new-grads.
That sure worked out for you in the long run. You are right that the relationships are really important. So you got a job before you graduated with the internship, thats really a positive a good example for me.
It is best to do Internship after third year if you are enrolled in a four year program.
Re: ==When to Do Internship?
If you have the opportunity to go on an internship then I highly suggest you do.
I am enrolled in a co-op at Ryerson Univeristy. I am studying chemical engineering. It is a five year program with twenty months of co-op. I have done twelve month of co-op already in Alberta for an oil company. They have also called me back to do my remaining eight. I am hoping this company hires me right after I graduate.