The High School Internship

The bar for getting into elite universities keeps getting higher. It used to be that high ACT or SAT scores, a high GPA, and a well-rounded assortment of extracurricular activities were enough to ensure admission into your child’s dream school.

These days, however, universities are inundated with record numbers of applications from high-achieving, well-rounded students. Therefore, your child needs to do more in order to stand out. They need to specialize and demonstrate a deep commitment to one or two extracurricular activities instead of trying to do every activity possible.

There are plenty of ways for your child to stand out on the Common App Activities section, but one of the best strategies is one that many parents and students overlook: internships.

With an internship, your child can get a glimpse at the professional world, one that many students don’t receive until college. This provides helpful material for a Common App essay that will stand out.

Pursuing an internship in high school is an excellent way for your child to find a professional mentor and begin growing their professional network. The mentor can write a letter of recommendation and they may even be able to leverage their network. Building a professional connection while still in high school will become immensely useful when your child is applying for college internships or even jobs post-college.

Finding a high school internship can feel like an impossible task. This is understandable, given that most organizations who hire interns don’t even have high school students on their radar.

Here are some of the best places your child can get started: Family members & friends. High school teachers & guidance counselors. Local universities, businesses & religious organizations

FAQ:

Should my child take an unpaid internship?

Absolutely. In fact, your child should never expect compensation for an internship they do during high school. Money is not the point; experience and professional connections are. If an internship does pay, that’s a nice bonus, but it’s uncommon. Don’t worry: universities don’t care if the internship was paid or not. They’ll be far more impressed that your child has done an internship at all, especially if it helps support the broader narrative in your child’s college application.

Should my child spend their summer pursuing an internship or working a part-time job?

This is a difficult decision, particularly if your child is working out of necessity to help pay for college or even to help you pay the bills. It also depends on the nature of the job. Working at a fast food restaurant won’t provide the same kind of relevant career experience as helping file papers at a law firm, for instance. That said, part-time jobs (even if they are unglamorous) can provide interesting talking points in your child’s admissions interview and could even be the subject of their personal statement. It all depends on how your child is able to frame it.

What if my child doesn’t know what field or career interests them?

One of the main benefits of doing an internship is that your child can learn more about what does (and doesn’t) interest them as a future career. If your child is truly unsure, however, then they should first do some brainstorming and research to figure out what interests them and how that might apply to a future profession.

Does my child need to intern somewhere prestigious?

Many parents think that prestigious experiences will help their children stand out to admissions committees. The reality, however, is that admissions officers care far less about prestige and name dropping and far more about what your child got out of the internship experience.

When should my child start applying for internships?

It’s never too early. We recommend doing an internship during their sophomore year or the summer after it, as that will give them time to think about how to incorporate the experience into their college application.