Summer Internship Tips
By Malina Gavris
You’ve made it! After a long recruiting season, countless applications and interviews, you’ve finally secured a summer internship. This is a huge accomplishment that any college student should be proud of as internships give you real work experience and can serve as the launch pad to a successful career in your field of choice. Now that you have an internship, it’s important to make the most of this incredible opportunity.
First, it’s important to make the proper accommodations and plans for your internship. As soon as you’ve received a finalized job contract with work specifications, plan accordingly. Is your internship remote or in person? If it’s in person, will you need to relocate? If so, is housing provided? These are questions that you should immediately know the answer to. If your internship will be virtual, remember to have a high-functioning computer with a working camera and a strong wifi connection. If you need to relocate for your internship, make sure to contact your recruiter to see if housing will be provided. If not, ask your recruiter if they can help you in any way with housing, such as putting you in touch with other interns as potential roommates, or if there is a company-provided list of apartment buildings that are close to the office and frequently rented out by company employees. 
After figuring out logistics, go ahead and prepare for what your internship will actually entail. Read up on the company dress-code policies and update your wardrobe to professional or business casual attire if needed. Don’t be afraid to dress for success! Remember that staple pieces go a long way, and a good pair of professional shoes or pants can be reworn multiple times a week if needed.
When you start your internship, it’s important to make meaningful connections and to not be afraid to ask questions. Make friends with the other interns and with the people on your team. Be respectful and cordial with your peers and managers, but don’t be afraid to show your personality and have nice conversations. This is a great way for people to remember you and it will make it more likely for people to help you out in the future. Stay in close touch with people that you need to work with on projects and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. It’s better to clarify your responsibilities at the beginning, rather than wasting time and doing the wrong work.
Lastly, remember to have fun! It’s going to be easy to burn out working full-time for weeks on end. It’s important to create a good work-life balance for yourself and to have scheduled breaks or time for fun and relaxation on the weekends. Make a bucket list of restaurants or stores that you want to go to and places where you’d like to sightsee with other interns in the program. Planning something like this will not only help you reset after work but it will give you awesome opportunities to bond with new people and to form new friendships.
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