An internship can help students test out a new career interest, build confidence, meet adult professionals in a career they are interested in, and expose them to the world of work as opposed to the world of school.
Sometimes a big company is better, but usually the smaller companies come with a job that teaches you more. The best internship is a real job where you can ask questions, get feedback, and really see what it is like and what you do.
You’re picking an experience that can help you get into college and that can be a building block for further internships, jobs and career decisions, so pick with that in mind.
Use a Simple Internship Scorecard
Choose the option that will teach you the most. If you find yourself with several options open at once, select the one that will provide the most value to market yourself. Your internship should teach you communication skills, problem-solving, teamwork, research and organizational skills, adaptability and initiative so that you can show your ability to take ownership of your work in college and in the workplace.
Use this scorecard before applying or accepting an offer:
- Selectivity: Do you apply, interview, pitch yourself or earn the role through work?
- Skill development: Will you practice communication, problem-solving, research, leadership or technical skills?
- Real responsibility: Will you create, organize, support, analyze, present or help solve something?
- Mentorship: Will you have an adult supervisor who will answer your questions and give you feedback?
- Story value: Would the experience help you articulate your interests or a potential career to others?
- Balance: Can you balance your schoolwork, activities and commitments outside of school?
No internship will fill all of these qualifications, but if you’re actively seeking experience, a summer job or internship with a local business, nonprofit organization, library or day camp is excellent.
Think about what you might say afterward. “I watched people work in an office” gives colleges very little information. For example, “I helped organize volunteer sign-ups, updated a spreadsheet and learned how staff communicates with local community partners” shows effort, growth and responsibility.
Consider More Than Prestige
It’s nice to work for a big name company as you continue to build a strong resume, but prestige means nothing if that’s all you’ve got.
What did you do, learn, and contribute? It’s far more telling to say you spent a week working hands-on for a small organization than to say you spent a week at a big company. Working for a nonprofit, a small business trying to get customers, or leading a summer program with younger kids are examples of responsibility, creativity and follow-through.
You can write a post on networking platforms, start an archive, learn something new, explore an idea, or do a small project that matters to you. They also show your reader how you think, how you work and how you respond when someone trusts you with responsibility.
Focus on Skills
Often, students choose internships that are directly related to their desired career path. For example, a medical student would intern at a hospital, a student studying business would work in an office, and a designer may apply to a creative agency.
Even if you have an idea of what field you want to work in, you don’t necessarily know what job in that field you want. For example, if you want to work in health, you could be at a clinic, a wellness nonprofit, a public health campaign, or a community outreach office. These positions also include opportunities to develop communication, organizational service, and problem-solving skills.
Even if you have a specific career interest, the most important thing may not be your job title. If you’re interested in health, for example, you might work for a clinic, wellness nonprofit, public health campaign, or community outreach office. All these roles allow for the development of communication, organization, service, and problem-solving skills.
Long-term career readiness starts with those habits. According to Education Resources Inc., physical therapy will grow by 15% and occupational therapy by 12%, but new grads still need strong resumes, interview skills and networking behaviors to stand out.
The thing is that these habits can start way back in the high school days. You’re not expected to know what you’re doing at 16 or 17. You are expected to show that you can learn, ask good questions, take responsibility and follow through.
Choose Experiences That Show Initiative
Colleges favor students who reach out to them or their local communities for internships, even if the college does not offer one.
Check around your town for a business, teacher, nonprofit organization, library, church, clinic, farm, animal shelter, or town organization that may need a volunteer or intern to help out. Work experience, including internships, can also be helpful and is often seen as a positive for candidates.
Alternatively, students could collaborate with a conservation organization, start a recycling program at their school, or create a short media campaign for elementary school students. Education students might tutor younger children or run a summer reading program.
These choices are done on your own initiative, have been shaped or created by you and show interests beyond what is required for activities in school.
Look for Hands-On Work
Some internships might only consist of shadowing, which can be useful if you’re still deciding or exploring a particular field, but the best internships are those that give you real-world experience.
This could include anything from research and copywriting to customer or community relations, data management or analysis and being present in the office to participate in meetings and brainstorming sessions. Having real responsibility does not mean you are in charge of the organization. Instead, it means that you are working toward a purpose.
Further questions can be about what type of work the intern would do or projects they would work on, if training is provided, and whether the employer has an intern supervisor or what kinds of skills successful interns have learned. They may also describe examples of settings where adults are skilled in supporting student interns. Asking good questions shows the employer that you have come prepared.
Pay Attention to Mentorship
A good intern mentor may contribute to making a mediocre internship into a great internship. Intern mentors can also introduce interns to the workplace and increase their self-awareness of their skills. In addition to acting as a sounding board, a mentor can help you discover career options. You could enter an internship with one career path in mind, then find another that suits you better. Knowing your passions can help you pick classes, clubs and even a college.
A mentor can also help with college applications, as someone who has seen you grow and learn will have more specific praise to offer than a name at the top of an application.
Instead of vague phrases like “she was helpful,” look for specific examples: “she learned our scheduling system, communicated highly effectively with other volunteers, and helped solve a tracking problem before our event.” Basic behavioral examples like these will help colleges get a better sense of who you are, your work tendencies and how you can apply yourself.
Relate the Internship to Your Story
Your classes, activities, essays and experiences don’t all have to point to a perfect career, but they should give colleges a sense of what you are interested in.
An internship could help tell that story. The journalism major could intern at the local newspaper, podcast, or school-based media outlet. An engineering major could run robotics workshops, a teacher could tutor preschoolers or work in an after-school program, and a business major could work with a small business to help them manage their inventory, social media, or outreach.
You do not have to have every step of your future figured out. High school is about exploration. An internship gives you the chance to test drive a major before you fully commit.
Even a little taste gives you an idea of what you like, what challenges you, and what other areas you might want to explore, be it classes, clubs, volunteering, or later internships.
Make the Experience Application Material
Write down what you did after your internship while you can still remember the names, projects and small moments that mattered. When applying to colleges, use specific projects and achievements to highlight your strengths.
Colleges want to know what the experience meant. Reflection captures the experience as evidence of growth.
Protect Your Time and Energy
The best internship is one that fits with your real life. You have school, homework, sports, clubs, family responsibilities and friends. An opportunity should stretch you, but not take over your calendar.
Week by week, think about how much time you’ve got. Getting there matters – figure out if it takes a bus ride or just steps down the hall. School always fills up some space, then there are practices that eat into afternoons. Meetings for groups might pop up on certain nights. Relatives sometimes need help without warning. Some jobs want your face at a desk every day. Others let you stay home with a screen between you and the boss. A few split the difference, asking for both.
Most of the time, finishing a lighter internship successfully looks stronger than struggling through a tougher one that messes up schoolwork, rest, or mental balance. Getting things done wisely matters more than just piling on stress. Those who review college apps want to see smart choices, effort over time, and clear thinking. Doing what fits best often shows greater judgment.
Working from home might suit you better when location limits your chances or life gets busy. Instead of commuting, some find growth through online roles with more freedom. Face-to-face programs often come with hands-on guidance and stronger relationships. Still, what fits how you learn, plan your days, and handle tasks matters most in the end.
Think Beyond College Applications
Even though you might mainly want to do an internship for your college application, these experiences can benefit you for years to come. An internship or job can help you learn how adults communicate in the workplace, how teams solve problems and what different careers are like day to day.
When writing an internship application specifically for the industry, explain how the educational program is related to the employer’s job listing and connect the resume to the role. The same idea applies when you choose opportunities in high school. A good internship should connect to your interests, your skills and your future.
One internship can help you see more clearly where your future may be headed. You may love working with people, prefer research behind the scenes or have strong creative instincts. That makes it easier to decide on classes, a major, volunteer work or another internship.
Prioritize Growth Over a Perfect Resume Line
If you attend college, and eventually work in your chosen career, look for an internship that will help you develop the skills you need. A well-chosen internship gives you new skills, confirms or reinforces your interests, and gives you good examples of responsibility. An internship does not need to be at a famous company; what you do and learn is often more important than where you do it.
At that point, when you’re applying, find internships that you can add value to and ask good questions. Also, document your achievements. Challenge yourself and learn more about college, careers and yourself. The right experience can help you stand apart in the college admission process and give you the confidence and career-ready skills you need long after high school graduation.
