# It just hit me how important internships are.



## atc1991 (May 9, 2013)

I'm a really good student and I always figured I'll let my grades speak for me. Now that I am preparing to take the LSAT, I realized just how much I really need internships. 

I haven't made a resume. I haven't had any serious internships (I briefly interned for a local politician). I had a job but quit to focus on keeping my GPA as high as possible. Going out and getting an internship triggers my anxiety, so I avoided it. Now that I'm trying to make myself competitive for law school, I realize that I had better put myself out there in the community and do something.

My passion for politics and law really runs against my SA. :afr

I guess it's time to just suck it up and deal with anxiety. I can't hide forever, and though academics are highly important, pursuing any sort of real career is going to require experience. 

My adviser sent so many emails to me about internship opportunities over the course of this quarter, and I neglected to pursue any of them because this is my first quarter and I'm trying to get settled. Now I feel stupid for doing that because I'm behind everyone else who isn't afraid of everything.

How are all of you doing in the intern department?


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## Imbored21 (Jun 18, 2012)

I need 1 to graduate, but too scared to apply cuz social anxiety.


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## WhispersWithWolf (Apr 23, 2014)

One of the things that sucks about life is that it seems that no matter how hard you work, no matter how hard your grades are or how polite you are, the "cool" person almost always wins. And I'm not talking about the archetypal high school Jocks/Cheerleaders. I mean the smooth talkers ,the explorers, the extroverts, the "personalities", the people who get along great in the world. 

But notice I said ALMOST. I'm sure there are companies that prefer who is kind of shy (and I'm assuming quiet and not a big "presence") What I suggest you do is look for internships in smaller firms with older, more laid back and experienced people. I interned as a secretary (not that I EVER plan on doing that) and even though at first I was so terrified, I began to warm up to them, and they warmed up to me even though I was too scared to answer the phone most of the time. 

IDK how your SA and experiences are, but for me, older people are easier to be around. 

As for now, maybe you can do something else in law like patents or writing. 
\Good luck


EQ>IQ>DQ (lulz)


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## monotonous (Feb 1, 2013)

<- GPA 4.1 - haven't been asked to show my transcript in a single interview - i really should have spent the time studying on trying to get laid, i'd be in the same capacity anyways


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## thetown (Aug 16, 2014)

I did like a summer research internship last year b/c I have pretty much no experiences.


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## james10203 (May 28, 2013)

Yup other than getting a part time job (working in a restaurant - I got sacked but that's another story lol) an internship was the best thing I ever did. I study computing though and live in the UK so it's slightly different to your position I guess.

It was summer and I was about to enter my final year of college/uni I started out by doing a few weeks work experience with this company, then my boss was impressed so he let me continue all summer (3/4 months) which is when it turned into an internship. It was only small company so my title was 'IT department manger' even though the IT department was just me lol.

Anyway when it ended my boss didn't want me to go back uni and wanted to employee me full time. Obviously I went back to study though, I am halfway through my final year of study now. I learned things on my internship you would never learn in a classroom. I still work part-time for the company managing the website from home. 

So basically I am virtually guaranteed to have a full time job as soon as I graduate plus I have almost a years worth of industry experience that nobody else on my course has. Effectively this puts me a year ahead of all my competition - I am a graduate who already knows what skills real world employees want along with having skills no other graduate will have. Thinking about it like this makes me realise just how lucky I am...and all because I made one phone call, introduced myself and volunteered(no involvement from the college/uni).

Started going on a bit but you get the idea, any chance for experience you get you should do it.


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## FunkyFedoras (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh no, don't remind me. I haven't done an internship at all yet, I really need to find some experience somewhere. ;-;


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

They are more critical than grades by a long shot and in a lot of cases you will never even be asked to present your grades, all they care about is did you graduate and what experience do you have. I prefer it this way because grades are irrelevant if you're useless in a practical environment.


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## Raeden (Feb 8, 2013)

FunkyFedoras said:


> Oh no, don't remind me. I haven't done an internship at all yet, I really need to find some experience somewhere. ;-;


Same boat, man. T______________T


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## OutsideR1 (Mar 13, 2014)

Raeden said:


> Same boat, man. T______________T


+1 here.

Although I have had 2 jobs that lasted for 5 months each.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

Raeden said:


> Same boat, man. T______________T


Anyone who doesn't hire you is mentally handicapped.


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## ForeverInBloom (Oct 4, 2010)

james10203 said:


> Yup other than getting a part time job (working in a restaurant - I got sacked but that's another story lol) an internship was the best thing I ever did. I study computing though and live in the UK so it's slightly different to your position I guess.
> 
> It was summer and I was about to enter my final year of college/uni I started out by doing a few weeks work experience with this company, then my boss was impressed so he let me continue all summer (3/4 months) which is when it turned into an internship. It was only small company so my title was 'IT department manger' even though the IT department was just me lol.
> 
> ...


Did you just randomly call them and ask them if they needed help or were they advertising some work?

I have to do this and am planning on getting an internship too, and am doubtful about cold calling. Any tips on how to do this?

Kudos on gaining the experience and on taking the initiative!


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## james10203 (May 28, 2013)

ForeverInBloom said:


> Did you just randomly call them and ask them if they needed help or were they advertising some work?
> 
> I have to do this and am planning on getting an internship too, and am doubtful about cold calling. Any tips on how to do this?
> 
> Kudos on gaining the experience and on taking the initiative!


My neighbour knew the director of the company so he was the one who gave me the number, the company itself was never advertising that it was after interns or had any positions for jobs available.

The first time I called I was super nervous, but once you get through the initial "hello...introduction phase" of the conversation it gets a lot easier, and all employers perk up at the sound of you wanting to volunteer and work from them for free, especially the smaller ones.

From what I have experienced so far its amazing how little companies know or even care about their IT. So after my boss described is current IT system in a really vague non-technical way I could talk to him about different things I could potentially do for him, and that got him more excited about giving me the opportunity to try my ideas out and it all went from there.


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## ForeverInBloom (Oct 4, 2010)

Thanks for the response james!

Best of luck OP!


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## cybernaut (Jul 30, 2010)

Prospective graduate school student here. I simply have no internship experience because my uni or area does not offer any within my field. This area has the most specialization in Nursing, Computer Science, and Business. I'm in the process of applying for a Master Degree programs and have come across many applicants bragging about internship experience. My field is International Affairs, and I hope to go to graduate school to actually gain potential internship experience that I missed out on.

Internships are indeed important if you plan to apply to a career stright out of undergrad..or even apply to an advanced degree program (law school, graduate school, Business school, etc)


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## atc1991 (May 9, 2013)

OneLove21 said:


> Prospective graduate school student here. I simply have no internship experience because my uni or area does not offer any within my field. This area has the most specialization in Nursing, Computer Science, and Business. I'm in the process of applying for a Master Degree programs and have come across many applicants bragging about internship experience. My field is International Affairs, and I hope to go to graduate school to actually gain potential internship experience that I missed out on.
> 
> Internships are indeed important if you plan to apply to a career stright out of undergrad..or even apply to an advanced degree program (law school, graduate school, Business school, etc)


This is what I'm afraid of. I'm trying to get into law school. Along with studying for the LSAT, keeping my 4.0, and dealing with SA, I have no idea how to proceed with an internship.

Time and anxiety make it difficult. It's doable, I know. People do it all the time and have success, so it's a matter of sucking it up and doing it, but that's tough.


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