Internships
Angela Shiflet
Wofford College
(last update: June 27, 2002)
Internships are invaluable. Internship experiences can expose you to a wealth of new ideas, techniques, and applications that will greatly enhance your knowledge of computational science and other disciplines, thereby making your classroom education more meaningful. As an intern, you have the opportunity to make contacts with professionals, meet other students from around the world, and visit different areas of the country. Besides the more immediate benefits, you can leverage the internship to obtain another internship, admission to a good graduate school program, a graduate assistantship or fellowship, and a better professional position than would have been possible otherwise. You will have new responsibilities, learn new ways of thinking and interacting; you will grow and be forever changed.
The search for internships should start early in the FALL, even though application deadlines vary widely. Some laboratories and companies have deadlines in the fall, perhaps as early as the end of October, while others wait until spring. Even in the latter case, it is beneficial to develop a contact at the organization well before the application due date. Some laboratories require that potential mentors indicate their intern needs early for budget and other considerations. The application process takes time.
Career or internship services at your university or college can be helpful in finding opportunities and in assisting with résumé development. Several sources on the World Wide Web (see "Resources over the Internet") have links to a number of organizations with internships. Most large companies and government laboratories have established internship programs. Also, each year, the National Science Foundation funds a number of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at universities around the country (see "Links to Internships at Colleges, Universities, and Organizations").
Personal contact—whether through friends, family or faculty—is very beneficial in securing a position, as contacts may know of opportunities or others who can help you and may even communicate directly with someone for you. Make sure that you are serious in pursuing the position and plan to accept the internship, if offered. Having a known contact at an organization is far preferable to dealing solely with the human resources (HR) department. HR might not understand who in the organization can use someone with your computational science background; and, after having talked with you, a scientist might create an internship position that did not previously exist. Before starting such inquiries or discussions, however, you should have a résumé.
If you get an internship offer, accept or reject promptly so that the organization can plan for the summer. In the case where you are accepting another offer, tactfully phrase the rejection.
Because of competition, it is a good idea to start your search for housing immediately after learning of your acceptance for an internship. A large organization with many interns often has a housing office that can provide a housing and apartment list along with names of other interns with whom you can share housing.
Universities often rent dorm rooms to student interns from other schools during the summer. You can usually obtain the contact information for a university's housing office through the school's web site.
It is natural to be fearful of a new situation, especially one involving a project for which you know little or nothing. Almost every other intern shares your anxiety and anticipation. Be assured, however, a mentor almost always does not expect you to be familiar with the particular project and will help you gain the necessary background. Part of the benefit of an internship is having the experience of working with a team on something beyond your previous classroom work.
During the internship, be prompt for work and meetings and perform your assigned tasks diligently. If you have any difficulties after seriously attempting to do a task, do not hesitate to ask your mentor or others for assistance. Often, such people can quickly guide you in the correct direction and keep you from wasting valuable time.
An organization that has a number of interns often has a series of talks, tours, and social activities for the students. Try to participate in as many of these opportunities as possible. Besides being fun, you can learn much and meet many interesting people through such experiences. Outside of work, try to see as much of the surrounding country with other interns. The learning experience should extend far beyond your work at the company or laboratory.
Most organizations will ask you to write an abstract of what you accomplished during the summer and to make a final presentation on your project. The abstract and presentation can serve as a basis for a later conference paper (see this section). A daily journal can be helpful in summarizing the summer's activities and in realizing just how much you are accomplishing.
The following are some hints on giving an effective presentation using presentation software, such as PowerPoint:
Upon returning to campus, volunteer to give a presentation on the work of your internship. Student discipline-related organizations, such as the Association for Computing Machinery or Tri-Beta, are usually delighted to get speakers. Other students and faculty can learn from your presentation, which might also inspire other students to seek internships. Moreover, such experiences add to your poise in such situations and can help to prepare you for conference presentations.
Most conferences have sessions for undergraduate papers or posters. By presenting your work at a conference, you have the opportunity to connect with other professors and students with similar interests. Also, such a presentation makes a valuable addition to your resume. Ask professors for appropriate conferences. Many conferences only require that a student submit an abstract of one or two paragraphs instead of a lengthy paper. In the proposal and conference presentation, be sure to give the location of the internship and to acknowledge your mentor. Have a professor or your mentor review the abstract or paper before submission. Be sure to start the process early enough so that there is time for revision and completion of the application.
Some conferences provide assistance for students making presentations. Universities and colleges also might pay all or part of your expenses. If several students and professors are attending the conference, they can share driving and hotel charges.
Several organizations that have student sessions appropriate for computational science topics are as follows: