RIP Summer Internships

I started my internship search in October. My spreadsheet was color-coded, in a three-tier system. My three internship levels were First Class, Basic Economy, and Peasant. I told myself for months that no matter what, I would have a summer internship in Washington D.C. New York City. My biggest fear? Spending summer 2020 in my hometown. *Insert laughter here*

Now, I'm even lucky if I can see the sun this summer.

At the end of March, I still had hope that the pandemic would end early enough for me to find an internship in a different city. (How funny to think of times where we were full of innocence!) But then, I would wake up to the same email every day, different employer.

"Thank you for your interest in ___. Due to the current environment with COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our summer internship program. We hope you will continue to follow our website and apply for future opportunities."

Regardless of their status, I knew I wouldn't be able to move across the country in the middle of a pandemic. If you are also struggling with a similar situation, here's how I've coped with summer internships falling apart:

1. Reflect

Now that your dream internship is out of reach, think about what type of summer you envision. Set your standards. Do you dread the idea of an unpaid internship? Would you consider working remotely? Desperation can only take your job hunt so far before it gets to the point where you don't know what you stand for. If you don't know what you're looking for, you'll drown in the search.

2. Re-Start Your Search

Something that I've realized is that while we are being forced to start the search again, companies are being forced to move their internships remotely. If you see a position that you're interested in and aren't able to move to the specific city: apply anyways. Chances are, you won't even be allowed to come into the office.

Online platforms like Handshake, Indeed, and Glassdoor are a first good step. But once you have scooped up your top choices, you might get tired of the internship offers from companies you've never heard of (and don't want to work for).

Here's a tip: If you know what kind of company you want to work for: Google them. Once you Google them, you can see the section 'People Also Search For.' Chances are, those suggestions have companies similar to the ones you're interested in. AKA potential employers.

If these companies don't have open roles on their website, reach out to someone and ask them if the status of their internship program is open. You might have a lead.

3. Keep track of it all

Make a spreadsheet. A side effect to this is that it'll bring out the workaholic in you. But, it's the most efficient way to know where you stand. My spreadsheet has the following tabs: Organization, Position, Hours, Pay, Status, Follow-up, Contact Info.

Make sure your internships are being tracked as you apply. This spreadsheet should be as accurate as possible, and edited every time there's a status change.

4. Stay Positive

As a rising senior, I always thought my last summer in college would be the peak of my career as an intern. Now, I have to fight for last-minute internships. If you're in a similar situation, we're all in this together! We need to be positive and hopeful that something will come up.

I really hope you find something, but if not, it's not the end of the world!

A moment of silence for our internships that couldn't be...