The Hard Part is Over, But the Work Continues

By now, your hard work has hopefully paid off, and you've landed yourself a summer internship. After you finish jumping for joy and finally moving your internship deadlines Excel spreadsheet to your trash folder, sit back down. There are likely a few more details that still need to be ironed out - namely, housing, funding, and receiving academic credit.

Before we go any further though, congratulate yourself. A summer internship is no small feat, and will be an enlightening experience in your professional and personal development. Be proud of this accomplishment - you deserve it! OK, end inspirational speech.

One other disclaimer: if you've managed to snag a paid internship, and one that includes housing or is located close to home, you may not need some of the information in this post. Of course, you can always read for your future summer internship applications, or because you're particularly fond of my witty gif usage.

Housing. One of the best parts about a summer internship, for some people, is the opportunity to live on your own, either at Tufts or somewhere completely new. However, with moving to a new place comes finding a place into which you can move. A good strategy is to apply for summer housing at a college or university near your internship location - this is particularly helpful in big cities, where rent can become exorbitant for a college intern. Our website has some listings of college summer housing prices, organized by city. If your internship is near Tufts, you can always search through the class Facebook pages or ask around for any summer sublets.

Funding. Unpaid summer internships have become something of a controversy lately. According to a recent Forbes article, roughly 35% of summer internships are unpaid, and that number is even higher in the private sector. Even presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has weighed in, stating her public opposition to unpaid internships and their lack of economic opportunity for budding professionals. I've held unpaid internships before, and I must admit that while I truly valued the experience they provided, I lamented many times about not being paid for the work. Luckily, Tufts has many sources of funding for internships in almost any discipline (one of the biggest happens to be our very own Career Center Summer Internship grant). Check out these other funding sources through Tufts - for next year. Getting paid to do meaningful, professional work is one of the most rewarding experiences - don't miss out!

This doesn't have to be you.

Academic credit. If all funding sources fall through, getting some form of credit for your internship is still possible. Many academic departments like Community Health, Psychology, and Anthropology offer internship courses designed to give such credit. Other forms of credit are available through employers for specific career fields, like communications or finance. If your internship falls into any of the categories or majors listed on our website, it might be worth exploring the possibility of credit. Receiving academic credit also means your internship will appear on transcripts, which is an added bonus for future job or graduate school applications. In some cases, you may even be able to receive credit for paid or funded internships.

Some of you might be mad at me after reading this post. I can already hear your (respectful) criticisms: "Sean, are you saying that after all this work I put into finding the perfect summer internship, I have to do even more work now? When does the not-working part start??" These complaints are well-founded; however, if you really want to maximize your internship experience, you should figure out housing, funding, and credit options while you still have plenty of time to assess your choices. Hopefully, you'll have some time between finals and your internship (or your internship and the new school year) for the not-working part. If not, there's always retirement.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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A Pillow and a Soft Place: How to Field Multiple Internship Offers

Earlier this week, I met with a student during drop-in hours (yes, the Career Center has daily drop-in hours!) who had one of the best and worst problems I've heard. She had been offered not one, not two, but three internships - and was waiting to hear back on a fourth. Although she was overjoyed at her prospects, the idea of having to choose between three incredible opportunities was incredibly difficult. Like the title of my post suggests, although any decision would be a good one, it is a tough decision nonetheless.

So, we set to work, laying out all of her options and talking about ways she could narrow down her choices. We had a really productive conversation, and I was so struck by how complex the discussion became that I decided I just had to write about it in a blog post. Here are a few of things I told her to consider, and would recommend that anyone fielding multiple internship offers considers as well:

What will each position add to your value/experience as a future professional?

If you have two great but very different internships - different sectors, different responsibilities, etc. - you will first want to consider what each internship can offer you. If this is your first internship, you might want to consider pursuing the one that more closely aligns with your long-term career goals. That way, you'll not only get great experience, but you'll get a good idea of whether or not you'd really enjoy your potential career. If you've already had a few internships in a certain area, and you're torn between another similar internship and something new, you might want to take a chance and go in a direction you haven't explored previously. You'll diversify your experiences and your skill set, and you might find another field that you enjoy even more.

How well does each internship fit your ideals?

The student I met with was lucky in that she was choosing between some very different internships. One was a 40+ hour per week commitment, the other was a super flexible position at a start-up with a huge salary, and the third was a competitive full-time research program. But even in the face of very similar internship offers, you can make your decision based on other aspects of the internships. Are you able to set your own hours, or even negotiate your own salary? What are the extra perks of the internship - are there any amazing network connections you could make? What's the environment like? Who will you primarily be working with, other interns or directly under the CEO? While considerations like these may not seem as important as the actual internship details, these nuances allow you to choose an internship that is both personally and professionally satisfying.

Have you discussed your decision with anyone else?

While the Career Center is always here for you, speaking with many different people is always recommended. The student I met with mentioned that she found it difficult to talk about her situation with her friends, because it felt like she'd be bragging while they were still scrambling for internships - a totally understandable concern. If you don't feel comfortable sharing this with a friend, you can always talk it through with family. Or, if you know any, reach out to current or former employees for an insightful perspective on the organization's inner workings. (If you don't know anybody yet, this is a great opportunity to network in places like LinkedIn, where you can search for people by employer within Tufts networking groups.) And, of course, you can meet with a Career Fellow or Career Advisor as many times as you want to guide you through the decision.

Paid or unpaid? (The choice is clear.) 

If all else is equal except for payment, your choice might be easier than you'd think. When it comes right down to it, if you're choosing between a paid or an unpaid internship, I think most students would opt for the former. There will certainly be cases where this does not apply - if you want to be a teacher and are choosing between an unpaid teaching assistantship and a paid position in the circus, you could probably justify forgoing the juggling lessons. But for the most part, getting paid is too appealing to pass up - think of how much easier everything from rent to food to knowing you're valued at the organization will be.

By now, I've hopefully convinced you that choosing between multiple internships is not simple. It's a decision that takes time and a careful weighing of all options. Pragmatism will be your best friend, but don't forget to think about what you really want, and what you think will make you happy. And of course, whatever you choose, do not regret it by any means, because you're bound to gain something from any experience.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

P.S. One last thing - whatever you decide, make sure that you stick to your decision once you've confirmed a position with an organization. Reneging on an internship for another offer is unprofessional, and could come back to haunt you in your future career. Hate to end on such a foreboding note, but it's an important note nonetheless!

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Career Carnival: A Senior Perspective

Hello again, readers!

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Career Carnival. I thought it might be helpful to offer my own experience with the Carnival, since going into things as a senior is a whole different ballgame. Even though it's still September and I'm trying not to psyche myself out too much this early on, I can't help but plan ahead. I went into it with the goal of discovering opportunities that I could seriously consider post-graduation.

I was especially interested in looking at the posters on display, because they came from students who had done internships through the Internship Grant Program. As someone who would be hard-pressed to take on the financial burden of an unpaid internship, I appreciate the fact that Tufts offers this opportunity. As a graduating senior I won't be able to apply, but I certainly encourage the Classes of 2016-2018 to look into it!

It was a beautiful day for careers (and free ice cream)!

Margaret's informative poster about her internship!

In the midst of dozens of posters, it was easy to become overwhelmed by it all. Eventually, I spotted a poster about the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. Civil rights are one of my passions, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to talk to the poster's owner. This was how I met Margaret Azzi (Class of 2016), who worked for the OCR this summer. We had a great conversation about her internship, and I learned a lot. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions about it for the blog.

How did you find out about this particular internship?

"I found out about this internship via the Tufts internship fair. I ended up talking with a member of the Office for Civil Rights and left my resume with them. I received an email within the week regarding applications and submitted a writing sample and a cover letter from there."

When are the important deadlines?
"Deadlines tend to be rolling for Spring, Summer, and Fall. I suggest inquiring about an internship as soon as possible!"

What was your "typical" day like at this internship?
"At the OCR there was never a typical day! Usually I was assigned a specific topic or project to work on, but the work I was doing varied from day to day. At the beginning of each day I stopped in and checked with my mentor regarding what she needed completed by the end of working hours . If there was nothing pertinent due that day, I was free to work on outside projects I’d obtained from other members of the OCR. If there was something extremely important due that day though, I would be called in to work on it with my mentor on that specific task. There was never a dull day at the OCR!"


What was your favorite thing about your internship?
"The people! The staff was so friendly and welcoming. They treated me as one of their own and were always there to answer my questions and help me when I needed it. I learned so many valuable lessons from them throughout the summer."

What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?
"The most challenging part of this internship, in my opinion, was the lack of clear direction on specific parts of projects. As my job included a plethora of reading and research, a lot of parameters of how to execute the project were left for me to decide. As a student, I was previously accustomed to having explicit directions for every written assignment I turned in. My projects at the OCR, though, were more open-ended. While they helped me to foster better writing skills and brought me to be more concise in the formulation of my thoughts, the lack of clear directions was hard for me at first and took some time to become accustomed to."

You were able to be paid for this internship through the Tufts Internship Grant program -- would you suggest this program to students who cannot afford an unpaid internship?

"Yes, I would without a doubt suggest that students apply to this program. It is a wonderful opportunity to fund an internship that is something directly related to my future career interests. The Tufts Internship Grant Program provided me the opportunity to truly explore a field that I ended up loving. Without the grant I know that I personally would not have been able to have this wonderful summer experience!"

It's clear from her words that Margaret's internship was an amazing experience that wouldn't have happened without the Internship Grant. During the Carnival, Margaret told me that she has even decided to continue working with the OCR this fall, since she loved her time there so much. That's definitely the sign of a successful internship!

To learn more about the Internship Grant Program, attend one of the information sessions coming up! The first one is on Friday, October 3rd at noon in Dowling Hall Room 745A. The other sessions are listed here.

Signing off,

Kelly Vieira

Class of 2015

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