Three Actions to Take When Submitting Internship Applications

I have been the director of several internship programs for more than 20 years now. I have reviewed thousands of applications from students at all academic levels.  What is striking to me is that I see the same mistakes year after year.  Different applicants, same mistakes. 
Here are three actions students should take when applying for internship programs.
1. QUALIFY- Read all qualification criteria carefully. Do not apply for internships for which you clearly do not qualify. If you are not sure if you qualify, read additional materials or contact the internship organizers. Applying to internships requires a lot of time and effort.  Don't waste your time if you do not fit ALL the criteria for acceptance into a program.  Rarely, if ever, do programs make exceptions to their entry criteria.  Here are some examples of entry criteria that applicants often try to sidestep or ignore:

• GPA- Many programs, such as those funded by the National Institutes of Health, require that interns have a grade point average of 3.0 or above.  This is non-negotiable.  Some programs even require a 3.0 GPA in the student's major, so trying to increase your GPA by taking irrelevant classes does not get you closer to being accepted into these programs.  If your GPA is lower than 3.0 and you want to qualify for these kinds of internship programs, consider receiving tutoring or repeating some courses in the summer and try again the following year.
• Start/End Dates- Summer programs can have firm start/end dates that do not necessarily fit with your school's schedule.  This is important because summer programs may require commitment to specific dates for important reasons such the need for interns to attend orientation, group training sessions, or a need for coordination with mentors' schedules.  Understandably, this is very frustrating for potential applicants whose home institutions require summer activities.  However, accepting a scholarship or internship, especially those that are paid or particularly competitive, require a commitment from participants.  Before applying, review your calendar and make sure that you can actually be available for the dates required in the internship program. If not, check with your school advisers to see if they can give you special permission to attend the internship, if you are accepted.  If so, get their agreement in writing.
• Previous Training Requirements- Some internships may require that you already have certain skills.  For example, if you are applying for a summer program on big data, do you need to have certain computer programming skills before attending?  If you don't have those skills yet, will you be enrolled in a course prior to the start of the program?  Are you likely to learn the skills required before the summer?  Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. Misrepresenting or exaggerating your level of training can seriously backfire if you are accepted into a program and don't do well. Strive to enter internship programs that are challenging, but within reach for you based on your current training level.
• Socioeconomic Status Requirements- A few programs are intended to address issues of under-representation of individuals that are socioeconomically disadvantaged on the basis of race, ethnicity, income, gender, citizenship status or other criteria.  Some of these socioeconomic criteria may only require self-identification while others may require documentation such as tax returns or passport.  If you are in doubt as to whether you fit these kinds of criteria, you may want to contact the program organizers for clarification.  

2. VERIFY- Application forms for internship programs can be brief with only a few documents to submit, or extensive with requirements for essays, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.  If the application platform allows, preview all forms and documents needed before you start the application process.  This will allow you to estimate how much time it will take you to fill the application and verify what documents you may need to request or find before you start.  If the application requires letters of recommendation or documents that you need to get from other people, make those requests first. That way, those documents will be in process, while you work on the application forms.  No professor likes to get a call or email from a student requesting a letter of recommendation that is "due tomorrow"!  Let them know with plenty of time that you will need their letters by a certain deadline. 
Once you preview the application requirements, verify everything as follows:

• Verify That Your Responses Are Accurate- Make sure that all of your responses are accurate.  Some common questions in which I have seen students not be quite accurate in their application forms are current GPA, the courses completed, dates of previous experiences, names of awards, etc. Inaccurate or false statements may get you in the door, as a finalist for a program, but nowadays many programs use verification services to check the information that you provide.  You don't want to be the one that is caught in a lie, whether intentional or not.
• Check and Double-Check- Review your resume, responses, and essays for typos and grammar.  Don't only check for misspellings, but also for grammatical errors and accurate names. It helps to run your application through a grammar and spelling program before pasting it onto the application forms.  It can also help to read it out loud to yourself or ask a friend to check it for you.  It seems like a no-brainer, but I assure you it's not.  I have received applications in which students misspelled their own name.  I have received applications with sidebar comments or reminders that students intended to fix later, but forgot. And, my personal favorite error, applications directed to other programs.  Every year, I get a few applicants that talk about how much they want to enter the program at Columbia or Yale, which would be fine, except that they are applying to my program at Mount Sinai.  This happens because students cut/paste the same responses into different application forms.  It is fine if you do that, but please, verify before you apply. 
• Answer the Questions- Strive to be clear and direct in your responses.  Remember, selection committees are trying to find out whether you are likely to succeed in their program.  Make it easy for them to read and understand your responses. For example, if you are asked to write an essay detailing your career interests, then talk about YOUR career interests.  I have received many essays that read like a thesis on the subject with paragraph after paragraph on generalities about the topic of the internship.  They tell me things that I already know.  Instead, I want you to tell me why YOU are interested in this topic, what makes YOU good at this, what has been your experience in this area of work, and how you plan to pursue a career in this area in the future.  Tell me how this internship will help you achieve your goals, and what you will bring to the program.  Prove to me that you will succeed in the internship.  Provide evidence and examples.  Details like these make for a winning essay rather than one that sounds generic or like a page ripped out of any textbook.

3. APPLY- Once you have determined that you qualify and you have verified that all your information is accurate, do not hesitate to apply.  Don't be intimidated.  Don't run out of steam.  Although many internship programs are very competitive, you will not get 100% of the programs for which you don't apply.  Send your complete application forms and all documentation on time before the deadline and you will have a chance.